Looking to Boost CBM Production, EOGEPL invests in Microbial eCBM Technology

BE, Durgapur :::  EOGEPL is one of the largest E&P companies in India primarily focused in the domain of Unconventional Hydrocarbons (UHC) having a resource base of 12 TCF (Trillion Cubic Feet) CBM and shale gas resources. To boost its CBM production, Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Ltd (EOGEPL), India’s pioneering unconventional hydrocarbon (Coal Bed Methane) player, recently announced its investment in Microbial eCBM technology. This initiative is in line with EOGEPL’s commitment to invest in R&D and improve operations. EOGEPL has collaborated with The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI) and ONGC Energy Centre (OEC) to establish the potential of eCBM Microbial technology in the Raniganj-East Block of the company. The feasibility test of the technique has been completed in collaboration with TERI-OEC, and in parallel R&D is ongoing for full-field application.

Commenting on the initiative Mr. Pankaj Kalra, CEO of EOGEPL said, “The investment in Microbial eCBM technology demonstrates our commitment to increase production and reserves base. With this initiative, we aim to upsurge gas production while contributing towards our Hon. PM’s vision of becoming a ‘Gas-Based Economy’ in the next decade.”

The Microbial Treatment is a standard “Enhanced Recovery Method” used in the oil & gas industry to increase reserves. With the introduction of the Microbial Stimulation Technology, an upsurge in production of CBM gas is expected, while improving the reserve base by 5 to 10%. After extensive study, eCBM Microbial stimulation has been completed in five wells of Raniganj-East Block of the Company. These wells will be monitored for the coming three to six months, and based on the results, along with final optimization of design, EOGEPL will implement the technology at large scale to maximize gas yield and improve reserves base.

EOGEPL made an initial investment of Rs 5,000 crores in the Raniganj project and has produced over 80BCF of CBM gas till date. The company plans to begin a new drilling campaign in 18-24 months with the aim of increasing production to approximately 3 million SCMD in the near future. As the largest CBM producer in the country, EOGEPL is committed to investing in cutting-edge technologies such as hydro-fracking, radial drilling, and microbial treatments to further advance its R&D efforts. The company plans to invest an additional Rs 2,000 crores into the business to ramp up production and contribute at least ~5% to India’s total gas production

EOGEPL’s Raniganj CBM Block is the first CBM Project in India to cross the threshold of 1.0 million cubic metres of gas production. As on date the project is commissioned with 348 wells and a state-of-art indigenous infrastructure facilities.