Reliance Industries is producing 50-51 million standard cubic meters of natural gas per day at its prolific eastern offshore KG-D6 fields,which is about 15 per cent lower than middle of 2010. "Currently,the quantum of natural gas production from block KG-DWN-98/2 (or KG-D6) operated by Reliance is about 50 to 51 mmscmd," Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas R P N Singh said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The KG-D6 fields,off the Andhra coast,have helped double the natural gas availability in the country,but has seen a sharp dip in the past few months. Production had touched over 60 mmscmd in mid-2010. "Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) under this ministry is constantly monitoring the production performance of the block," Singh said. "DGH has asked the contractor (Reliance) to expeditiously drill more development wells in D1 and D3 fields as approved in the field development plan." Gas production from Dhirubhai-1 and 3 (D1 and D3),two of the nearly one-and-half dozen discoveries in KG-D6,began on April 1,2009. The 50-51 mmscmd output includes about 8 mmscmd being produced from MA oilfield in the same block. "The average production from KG-D6 in 2010-11 (till Janaury 31,2011) has been 56.94 mmscmd," said Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy,in reply to a separate question. "According to the approved Field Development Plan,the production from KG-D6 fields is projected to increase to 80 mmscmd in 2012-13." The approved FDP for Dhirubhai-1 and 3 envisages gas production reaching 80 mmscmd in the third year of commercial production,that is with effect from 2012-13. The gas output from KG-D6 has helped the nation's natural gas production jump 12.80 per cent to 53.59 billion cubic meters in 2010-11 as against 47.51 bcm in 2009-10.
