INDIA PLANS MORE BOMBAY OFFSHORE OIL WELLS
India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas
Commission (ONGC) plans to drill more wells in the Bombay
offshore area, where a well spudded in February this year gave
both oil and gas, an ONGC spokesman said.
    The exploratory well, spudded at a depth of 2,140 metres,
yielded 2,000 barrels of oil and 180,000 cubic metres of gas
per day, he said.
    "The well, one of the four structures drilled in the area 80
km north-west of Bombay, indicates good prospects of both oil
and gas. We've decided to drill at least three more wells in
there before starting production on a commercial scale."
    Production of Bombay High, part of the Bombay offshore
field, has stabilised at around 500,000 barrels per day for the
last two years.
    ONGC produced 27.85 mln tonnes of crude in 1986/87 ending
March, up from 27.51 the previous year. Bombay High accounted
for 20.61 mln tonnes, marginally up from 20.10 the year before.
India's total oil output is around 30 mln tonnes.
    ONGC has been exploring the Bombay offshore area, developed
since the late 1970s, for more oil as production from Bombay
High has reached a plateau.
 REUTER
