Offshore staff
MUMBAI, India -- Reliance Industries Ltd. has found success with its deepwater well in the Cauvery basin off the east coast of India. The Dhirubhai-35 discovery is a first for Reliance and a first for the deepwater Cauvery basin.
Dhirubhai-35 lies in 1,185 m (3,888 ft) water depth and was drilled to a 4,081 m (13,389 ft) TD. The well encountered a clastic reservoir with a gross hydrocarbon column of about 150 m (492 ft). Well tests confirmed the presence of oil and gas with condensate. A drillstem test produced 31 MMcf/d of gas with 1,200 b/d of condensate from the main zone. Another zone tested below the main zone produced about 550 b/d of oil with 1 MMcf/d of gas.
Reliance has notified the government of India and Directorate General of Hydrocarbons of the discovery.
Reliance won the 14,325 sq km (5,531 sq mi) CY-DWN-2001/2 (CY-III-D5) block in India's New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) III bidding round in 2002 and holds 100% interest in the block. Reliance was awarded seven of the nine deepwater blocks in NELP III.
Within a span of six years as an E&P operator, Reliance has discovered hydrocarbons in four major basins offshore India – Krishna-Godavari, Mahanadi, Saurashtra, and Cauvery – with major commercial deepwater finds.
The success of the Dhirubhai-35 well opens a new area of exploration in this basin, Reliance says.
7/18/2007
