Tripura demands speedy revival of local gas fields

NEW DELHI: Tripura, which is emerging as a gas-rich state with over a dozen gas discoveries, has asked the oil ministry to revive the decade-old coordination committee to resolve issues related to the development of gas fields and make arrangements to utilise the scarce natural resource.

A joint venture of GAIL and Jubilant Energy has made a second discovery in a block, while ONGC has 11 discoveries to its credit. Gas output from the state is expected to be around 8-10 million standard cubic meters per day (mmscmd) by 2017-18, but its utilisation is a major concern because of lack of gas transmission pipelines, said government and industry officials. According to state government officials, ONGC had achieved a production rate of 2.85 mmscmd on Jan 11 this year.

“Some companies are willing to set up a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in the state and transport it by roadways provided the government gives concessions.

But, such decisions can be taken only at the high-level monitoring committee (HLMC), which has not met since May 2003,” an official said requesting anonymity.

The committee, constituted in 1997 under the chairmanship of oil minister, is represented by officials of the state government, local gas consumers and energy firms such as ONGC, HPCL and GAIL. “The HLMC has not met in the last 10 years, despite several written requests from the state government to the oil ministry,” a Tripura government official said. Oil ministry did not respond to ET’s queries.

Tripura government officials said the committee had resolved a number of issues in its first four meetings. “In view of this, it has been requested that the meetings of HLMC should be revived and the next meeting may be convened at an early date,” an official said.

Blocks in Tripura are located in hydrocarbon-rich Assam-Arakan basin and a consortium of GAIL India and Jubilant has informed about the north Atharamura-1 discovery in AA-ONN-2002/1 block this month, oil ministry officials said. Jubilant, which is the operator of the block, holds 20% stake while GAIL holds the balance.

The block has another discovery and has estimated about 1.2 trillion cubic feet contingent resources.