Mizoram Readies For Oil Drilling

A natural gas drilling rig

Aizawl, Apr 23: Mizoram is all set to become a part of the hydrocarbon map of the country as the Cachar-Mizoram exploratory outfit of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) is preparing to begin extraction of trapped natural gas in the state's Meidum drilling site in Kolosib district.

Natural gas was detected in Meidum's exploratory well in the middle of last year, after drilling for over two years, but ONGC had estimated only 2.2 billion cubic metres of natural gas at a depth of 3.85km, which made it not commercially feasible.

A senior official of the ONGC's Srikona headquarters today said an initiative named hydro-fracturing process was then used in Meidum well. In a hydro-fracturing module, hard rocks and tricky crevices are softened by heavy machines to extract more gas.

He said it is estimated that 3 billion cubic metres of gas would be extracted from Meidum after this hydro-fracturing drill.

In the last week of February this year, Mizoram's geology and mineral resources minister H. Rohluna, accompanied by M.C. Das, the general manager of Cachar-Mizoram project of the ONGCL, visited the drilling site and announced that work would soon start on an experimental basis.

The ONGC has started work on another well in Mizoram in a virgin drilling site in Zanlawn, 40km north of Aizawl, after NH54, connecting the village with Silchar, was further widened to make room to ferry heavy machinery.

He said in the course of time the corporation would also start drilling in Hortoki drilling site. The ONGC has so far identified two sites in that village, which he added, could be another hydrocarbon-bearing area in north Mizoram.