Adani Welspun JV discovers gas in Mumbai offshore basin

Adani Welspun Exploration Ltd. (AWEL), a joint venture between the Adani Group and Welspun Enterprises Ltd., has announced its first-ever gas discovery in the NELP-VII block MB-OSN-2005/2 located in Mumbai offshore basin.

AWEL holds 100% participative interest (PI) and is the operator of this block. Spread across 714.6 sq.km., the block is located in the prolific gas-prone Tapti-Daman Sector of the Mumbai offshore basin.

“The pay zones and flow rates encountered have exceeded the company’s initial estimates. With the information gleaned from adjoining fields/areas, this discovery is of substantial significance for both the company and the nation,” AWEL said in a statement.

AWEL was awarded the block under the New Exploration Licensing Policy VII bid round.

“Early indications pointed to the occurrence of gas-bearing reservoirs within the sandstone reservoirs of the Mahuva and Daman formations,” the company said.

The drilling of the current well in March 2021 confirmed the presence of substantial quantities of gas and condensate in the block, it added.

“Out of the three potential zones identified during drilling, two objects tested by Drill Stem Testing (DST) flowed substantial gas and condensate to the surface. Object-I (3m), a clean sandstone reservoir, flowed 9.7 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of gas along with 378 barrels/day of condensate through a 28/64” choke at a flowing tubing head pressure (FTHP) of 2659 psi,” it said.

“Object-II (15m), another thick clean sandstone reservoir, flowed 9.1 mmscfd of gas along with 443 barrels/day of condensate through a 28/64” choke at a FTHP of 2566 psi,” it added.

“In addition to being value accretive for the company, this discovery could be a significant breakthrough for our nation, given India’s focus to nearly triple the share of natural gas in its energy mix by the end of this decade,” Sandeep Garg, MD, AWEL, said.

“The company is also an operator with 100% PI of an adjacent Discovered Small Field B-9 Cluster in this prolific gas-bearing zone. The proximity of these two prospective blocks will enable AWEL to synergise and optimise development of both the blocks,” he added.