Assam government signs pact with Oil India Limited for exploration in lower Assam areas

Exploration for crude oil and natural gas in the northern bank of Brahmaputra in Assam will commence soon with the state government entering into an agreement with Oil India Ltd (OIL), an official statement said on February 10. 

The Assam government signed petroleum exploration license (PEL) deeds of two open acreage licensing policy (OALP) blocks with the PSU here on Thursday, it added. Ananda Kumar Das, the joint secretary and director (geology and mining) of the state government, and OIL executive director (frontier basin) JPP Das signed the agreement. 

The area under block AS-ONHP-2021/2, measuring 2445.30 sq. km, falls in the districts of Barpeta, Nalbari, Baksa and Kamrup, whereas block AS-ONHP-2021/3, measuring 1840.87 sq. km, is spread across Udalguri, Kamrup and Darrang. 

Also Read: Assam inks Rs 2000 Cr MoU with Tripura for 250 MW/500 MWh battery energy storage system

It is for the first time that exploration for crude oil and natural gas will be done on the northern bank of Brahmaputra in the lower Assam region. OIL will invest around Rs 12 crore in the projects, and will start the seismic survey this month itself, the statement said.

On the otherhand, ONGC Tripura Power Company Ltd (OTPC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) in Guwahati "to build battery energy storage system project of capacity up to 250 MW / 500 MWh in a phased manner in Assam by forming a joint venture company.

ONGC Tripura Power Company Ltd (OTPC) has inked an agreement to establish a battery energy storage project in Assam for Rs 2,000 crore, according to the reports on January 12.

According to a release, an investment of Rs 2,000 crore will be made in the state for developing the project," the statement added without giving a time frame. OTPC is a joint venture of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), gas utility GAIL (India) Ltd, the Government of Tripura, and India Infrastructure Fund-II.

It owns and operates a 726 MW gas-based power station that meets 25 per cent of the energy needs of the seven northeastern states.