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Oil India to explore riverbed in Assam

Oil India Ltd will conduct surveys on the Brahmaputra river bed hoping to find oil reserves in the country's northeast, the company chairman said.

"We are concerned about the potential on the river bed after we found interesting evidence of oil reserves at Khagorijan and Siman Chapori areas both facing each other across the river," Binoy Brata Sharma, said.

"For the first time in India, OIL would carry out a survey on the Brahmaputra river bed from Dhemaji towards northeast upwards in Assam, as we feel that something will definitely be found deep down the river bed," Sharma said.

By December 2001 the company will be able to get to know the future potential of the area.

The company has also decided to intensify its exploratory drilling in deeper horizons in the existing fields to compensate for a dip in production.

The company has proved oil reserves of about 603 Million Metric Tonnes with a gross ultimate recovery expected to be 180 MMT.

It has about 600 oil wells spread in the eastern parts of Assam. But 40 per cent of its production comes from depleting oilfields.

OIL produced 3.3 MMT of crude in 2000-2001 (April-March) and targets 3.45 MMT in the fiscal 2001-02.

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