GEECL May Explore ONGC CBM Blocks

Great Eastern Energy Corporation (GEECL) has approached Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for exploring its coal bed methane (CBM) blocks in Bengal, Times of India reported Friday. 

GEECL chairman and chief executive officer Yogendra Kumar Modi said the company would be expanding its Ranigunj project, work on which will start by March. 

Raniganj project has an output of 8.3 million cubic feet per day.

"With expansion, production will double. We have around 25 clients now, including SAIL and other industrial clients from the Durgapur-Asansol belt," Modi said.

He said that demand for CBM is huge in the region.

GEECL has around 100 wells in the Raniganj area. It also produces CNG by compressing CBM and supplying it to Durgapur area for transport requirements.

Besides GEECL, Essar Group has also started exploration of coal bed methane in Raniganj belt and is operating around 50 wells. Both GEECL and Essar are also planning to bring CBM to Kolkata through pipelines for transport and industry sectors.