The state-owned Oil and Gas Corporation (ONGC) has commissioned two projects for Rs 6,000 crore to increase oil production by 7.5 million tonnes and gas production by 1 billion cubic metres over the life of Mumbai’s high fields doubling down on efforts to improve mature and aging fields productivity.

Rs 3,740 crore was spent on the state-of-the-art 8-foot water-cum-living area platform as part of the fourth phase of the redevelopment of Mumbai High South, alongside Rs 2,292.46 crore, the company said in a statement. Cluster-8 Marginal Field Development Project. “The two projects will bring incremental benefits of 7.5 million tonnes of oil and more than 1 BCM of natural gas,” it said.

Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri dedicated the two significant projects to the country on April 23 offshore west. Chairman Alka Mittal accompanied him, Director (T&FS) O P Singh and Director (Offshore) Pankaj Kumar. “The Minister thanked the ONGC team for implementing both projects. He urged ONGC to strengthen further its efforts to add more oil and gas to countries by accelerating exploration activities,” the statement said.

A state-of-the-art 8-leg water injection cum living quarters platform has been installed as part of implementing the Low Salinity Water Injection (LSWF) process as part of the Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) pilot project Mumbai High South Redevelopment Phase 4; Total Capital Expenditure was Rs 3,740 crore.

The project will deliver incremental benefits of 3.2 million tonnes of oil and 0.571 BCM of natural gas. “This is the first EOR project offshore India. The concept involves reducing the salinity of injected seawater to 8,250 ppm, around 28,000 ppm, through a desalination plant. “The mechanism of LSWF involves complex crude oil-brine-rock (COBR) interactions to enhance micro-and macroscopic displacement efficiency,” it said.

The project’s implementation strategy focuses on local procurement of Rs 17,000 crore, in line with the government’s “Make in India” initiative. Of the 45 main pumps/groups for the project, 42 main pump groups have been manufactured in India. The structure used 40,000 tons of structural steel to build 5 Eiffel Towers. The energy-efficient energy recovery unit will reduce carbon footprint by reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 8,314 metric tons per year.

The cluster 8 Marginal Field development project at Mumbai High School has been implemented at a total cost of Rs 2,292.46 crore. The project will add 4.38 million tonnes of oil and 0.464 BCM of natural gas production. These marginal fields were discovered in 2017-18 and 2018-19. As part of the project, the CO2 reduction system is being implemented offshore for the first time. The statement added that oil and gas are being evacuated through FPSOs (floating production storage tanks).