AGARTALA, January 18 (TIWN): On another fresh initiative, the central owned Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) of Tripura to introduce heavy duty rigs across the state to facilitate its well drilling in future. At least two heavy rigs will be hired from an open tender with costs of Rs. 580 crore, and the ONGC Delhi based management has already approved the rigs to arrive here in the state Tripura, said ONGC Asset Manager V P Mahawar today.Talking to TIWN today Mr. Mahawar added that with its new initiative the ONGC has planned to induct heavy duty rigs to facilitate the well drilling for its better future. The rigs will arrive here at the state by 6 to 8 months and it costs Rs. 580 crore, said Mahawar.

 He further added that the rigs will be hired from an open tender and the ONGC Delhi based management has already approved the rigs to arrive here at the state. Currently 4 rigs are functioning here at the state and the ONGC has now decided to induct two more rigs here to strengthen the exploration drive, said Mahawar.  He said that the rigs will be inducted at Khoubal area to dig more exploratory wells as there is an indication of gas reserve.

Later asked about the Chambal fertilizer plant Mahawar said that the ONGC is already approved with the drilling wells. Adding to that he said that ONGC needs to conduct drilling in at least 4 places with Konabon, Khoubal and others. The 3 dimension survey at Khoubal is already over, said Mahawar.

The ONGC, Tripura Government, and private Chambal Fertilizers and Chemicals had signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) on April 9 to set up the plant in Unkoti district by 2016. Tripura government has allotted 800 acres of land to set up a Rs. 5000-crore Urea fertiliser plant. The supply of gas to the plant site would be made available from newly discovered Khubal well in the area. However experts are yet to find out a regular source to bring in water to the plant site.

However, sideling the issue of the gas supply to the NEEPCO Monarchak Power Plant, Mahawar said that by January 21 or 22 the ONGC will supply gas to the power plant. Putting stress on no further disturbance on the gas pipeline that once occurred while supplying gas to the OTPC, Mahawar said that one cyclone separator was brought here with costs of Rs. 1.2 crore. Besides, gas filter had already been installed at Monarchak power Plant. And later the separator machine will be installed, said Mahawar. He said that the ONGC has got a lessoned learned experience once after the disturbance found in the gas pipeline connecting to OTPC, therefore the ONGC now do not want to take any further chance of such disturbances, due to which the ONGC has now taken several preventive measures, said ONGC Asset Manager V.P Mahawar today.

Asked about the delay of the pipeline work, Mahawar on his reply said that due to the massacre occurred at Assam Kokhrajhar couple of days back the ONGC based two trucks loaded with all ONGC equipments overturned at the massacre spot, but now the equipments are arriving here by flight and it will take at least 2 to 3 days, said Mahawar.

As per the agreement the ONGC will supply 5000 MMSCMD gas per day to the NEEPCO Monarchak Power plant.