Essar signed MoU with IIT Dhanbad for R&D on Coal Bed Methane.
Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Ltd (EOGEPL) is an investee company of Essar Global Fund Limited, owned by Ruia-family.
On18th Feb, 2021,Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Ltd (EOGEPL) announced that it has signed MoU with IIT Dhanbad (Indian School of Mines) on Wednesday. The pact is to jointly carry out research and development activities on Coal Bed Methane (CBM).
Essar is India’s leading coal seam gas producer. The company released a statement on saying, “The Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration provides for finding an effective solution for various technological and operational challenges faced during CBM exploration and production.”
Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Ltd (EOGEPL) is an investee company of Essar Global Fund Limited, owned by Ruia-family. Essar operates Raniganj CBM block in West Bengal. It is producing over 1 million standard cubic meters per day of gas.
IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, founded in 1926, is a premier engineering institute with national importance. The institute is located at the heart of Damodar Valley Coalfields (Dhanbad) and about 100 km from the Raniganj CBM block. CEO of EOGEPL, Santosh Chandra referred to Essar as “the best partner for R&D in Oil and Gas” and said, “It is a unique milestone for us as it is the best partner in the country to join hands with when it comes to R&D in the oil and gas sector.
EOGEPL has already invested over Rs 4,000 Crore in Raniganj East CBM block.Raniganj has more than 1 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of certified CBM reserve. The company has invested heavily in drilling wells, setting up supply infrastructure in Raniganj and laying customer pipelines to Durgapur and nearby industrial areas from Raniganj.
Raniganj block has already been accepted as a showcase of CBM development in India and has a very niche customer base. The block is also connected with the prestigious Pradhan MantriUrja Ganga pipeline of GAIL as part of the National Gas grid for sustainable gas supply.
As part of the MoU, EOGEPL would propose an initial list of research topics and provide the data for the same to IIT Dhanbad. EOGEPL will also provide access to its wells in CBM block to IIT Dhanbadto carry out investigation, research experiments and jointly pursue collaborative research. IIT Dhanbad would do the research, scouting, and surveying for advanced technologies and advice the company on advantages and disadvantages. IIT (ISM) Dhanbad will also provide training to the EOGELP officials.
The company statement further added that the company is aiming to double its reserve base in next few years.
