SPE’s New Delhi Section (SPENDsec) sponsored a field trip recently to Block RJ-ON-90/1 in the Barmer basin area in Rajasthan, India. The total area of Block RJ-ON-90/1 is approximately 3,111 km2. It covers parts of the Baitu, Barmer, and Gudamalani areas in the Barmer district and Sanchor and Bagoda in the Jalor district. This onshore block in the northwest of the country is currently undergoing exploration and field development by a joint venture between operator Cairn Energy (70%) and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (30%).
Oil production began on the block in 2009, and around 350 development wells have been drilled since. Output is approximately 200,000 B/D—contributing more than one-fifth of India’s total daily crude production.
The daylong event/workshop was attended by a group of 20 members. In the morning, Rajesh Kumar, SPENDsec secretary, welcomed participants and spoke about the section’s 2013–14 activities. Cairn team leader Sujoy Mukherjee and process engineer Nikhil Sinha presented an overview of ongoing subsurface and surface operations on Block RJ-ON-90/1. This was followed by a talk—led by Jayant Malhotra, SPENDsec director—on global E&P operations.
In the afternoon, all participants visited Cairn’s fluid-processing terminal and also a drillsite where members were able to observe live field operations.
Shashi Shanker, SPENDsec chair, concluded the day by thanking the section member who had made the field trip possible under the SPENDsec’s Technical Awareness Program.
