ONGC lets contract for Ratna field platforms, development

Oil & Natural Gas Corp. of India has let an engineering, procurement, and construction contract to National Petroleum Construction Co. of Abu Dhabi for platforms to develop Ratna and nearby oil fields offshore western India.

The $327-million contract covers survey, design, engineering, procurement, fabrication, loadout, transportation, installation, and commissioning of five well platforms and associated pipelines and cables.

ONGC plans to invest $657 million to redevelop Ratna and develop “R-Series” fields in 40-50 m of water about 130 km southwest of Mumbai.

Ratna field, discovered in 1979, produced oil and natural gas during 1983-94. ONGC determined that 8 of 37 structures in the area hold hydrocarbons but brought only Ratna online.

It now plans to drill 22 production wells and 9 water injectors in the Ratna and R-Series fields. The five new well platforms, including a riser and wellhead structure, will join an existing platform to be rehabilitated.

ONGC plans also to use a jack up mobile offshore production unit with oil and gas processing facilities.

Production will move to the existing Heera process complex 41 km away.

ONGC expects production to begin by next year and to peak at 14,583 b/d of oil by 2020. It expects production to total 61.2 million bbl of oil and 60 bcf of gas over the life of the project.