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India’s biggest upstream producer state-controlled ONGC has stopped operating two offshore drilling rigs at its major Mumbai High and Bassein areas after several employees tested positive for Covid-19.
The company is operating the remaining 34 rigs in the areas and the temporary closure has not affected production. The fields off India’s west coast are ONGC’s biggest producing assets. Mumbai High produces around 170,000 b/d of crude and 12mn m³/d of gas. The Bassein or Vasai area produces 32mn m³/d of gas and 60,000 b/d of oil.
ONGC’s crude production fell by 2pc from a year earlier to around 406,000 b/d, according to oil ministry figures. Natural gas production declined by 13pc to 58mn m³/d over the same period, as a fall in demand because of India’s Covid-19 lockdown caused ONGC to shut some offshore wells.
The company has reduced planned spending in the April 2020 to March 2021 financial year by 15pc to 275bn rupees ($3.6bn) from the Rs325bn it originally budgeted.