RIL has so far made 18 gas and one oil discovery in the KG-D6 block

Mumbai: RIL has so far made 18 gas and one oil discovery in the eastern offshore KG-D6 block. Of these, two gas discoveries were put on production in April 2009 and the oil find in September 2008.

Investment plans for five discoveries have been approved and a similar number of finds have been taken away from RIL for not submitting development plans in time. RIL had decided not to develop two finds because of small gas pool and the remaining one discovery is within the mining lease area of the producing gas fields. Out of a total area of 7,645 square kilometres in KG-D6 block in Bay of Bengal, the government last year allowed RIL and its partners BP plc of UK and Canada's Niko Resources to retain only 1,4462.12 sq km area where regulator DGH- recognised discoveries have been made.

The area snatched away from RIL was more than 5,367 sq km that the company had offered to relinquish voluntarily and contained five discoveries - D4, D7, D8, D16 and D23 - for which the DGH had opined that RIL missed deadlines for submission of investment plans. The five discoveries together had 0.805 Tcf of reserves, or about one-fourth of the restated reserves in the currently producing Dhirubhai-1 and 3 (D1&D3) fields in KG-D6 block. Sources said the 1,4462.12 sq km area that RIL was allowed to retain included the currently producing D1&D3 gas fields and D26 (MA) oil and gas field.

Besides, a cluster of four satellite fields (D2, D6, D19 and D22) and two other significant discoveries (D42 and D34), for which investment plans have already been approved, are also being allowed to be retained by RIL. The area allowed to be retained also includes three yet-to-be-confirmed discoveries of D29, D30 and D31.