The state owned ONGC Limited is planning to explore as many as 17 shale gas and oil wells in both east and west coasts with an investment of around Rs 700 crores. The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of Ministry of Environment and Forests according to the minutes of a meeting and the PSU sought the ministry's nod to prepare Terms of Reference for exploring the wells.
According to the minutes the ONGC has sought permission for drilling 11 exploratory wells for shale oil/shale gas in Cambay basin at Mehsana, Ahmedabad and Bharuch districts of Gujarat, one well in Cauvery basin at Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and five wells in KG Basin at East and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh.
In the minutes it was mentioned as the ONGC Ltd has proposed for exploratory drilling of 11 wells for shale oil or shale gas in Cambay basin at Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Bharuch in Gujarat and the total cost of project is Rs 366 crores.
The officials have told that the ONGC will have to drill at least one (two in blocks having area more than 200 sq km) well for assessment of shale gas and oil in each of these blocks by 2017. Sources from US Energy Information Agency have stated that India has 63 trillion cubic feet of shale gas trapped under rocks.
