The Joint Venture of HOEC (50%) & Adbhoot Estates (50%) won the B-80 block in the Discovered Small Field (DSF) Round-I held by DGH. The B-80 block, with the initial data acquired & exploratory activities conducted by ONGC proved to be a viable field for production for this Joint Venture & hence a Field Development Plan (FDP) was developed.
The Field Development Plan consisted of the below main highlights:
Drilling two wells to produce oil and gas
Processing the produced Oil & Gas through a Mobile Offshore Process Unit (MOPU)
The processed Oil will be exported through a Floating Storage Unit
The processed Gas will be delivered to Gujarat Gas Market by tapping into an existing gas pipeline system of ONGC
The operator has safely & successfully drilled two wells named as B-80 block D2 & B-80 block D1 and has conducted flow tests at varying chokes.
Under the terms of the Revenue Sharing Contract (RSC), the gas produced from this block enjoys marketing and pricing freedom and is expected to fetch a premium price in the growing gas market in Gujarat, partly being met by imported Liquified Natural Gas (LNG).
Drilling an offshore well during a Pandemic:
COVID-19 hit every industry badly, but it hit the Oil & Gas industry particularly hard as the wave of lockdowns started right after a decrease in oil prices due to a supply glut in the market.
HOEC was right in the middle of its B-80 Drilling campaign when the lockdown measures started. Leaving a well half-drilled was as good as no option and so HOEC continued its drilling operations facing the pandemic head-on. Sourcing men & material from across the world and handling local logistics in Mumbai, HOEC ensured minimal rig down-time and successfully completed the drilling campaign.
This was possible due to the prompt support received from Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India, Mumbai Police, Mumbai Port Authorities, State Government of Maharashtra, with excellent co-operation received from all our Oil Field Services Contractors.
B-80 is a pioneer project and is a testament to the success of Discovered Small Fields (DSF) policy initiative taken by the Government of India, to enhance the domestic oil and gas production. Volumes tested by HOEC through both wells demonstrate commerciality of offshore production from a DSF block.
Actions to be completed for ‘First Oil’
Additional facility & infrastructural tweaks in the MOPU to accommodate additional gas to be produced.
Dry docking and rigorous maintenance of FSO ‘Prem Pride’
Export flowlines for both oil & gas
Ensuring best-practices for HSE & zero COVID positive cases
