A week-long effort of crisis management personnel of ONGC, headed by it’s expert V P Mahewar, was able to contain the leakage of dry gas from operational oil in West Tripura last night.
ONGC Tripura Asset Manager and former head of the Crisis Management crew, K Satyanarayana said here today that before arrival of two experts of integrated pressure control and related services to onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration of US based M/s Boots & Coots, the leakage was brought to stop.
Dry gas leakage began on June 14 evening from well number 9 in recapping process when the personnel removed the Christmas tree and were about to put the modern cap on the surface top of the well at Konabon, drilling site of West Tripura along the Bangladesh border.
Gas with high percentage of inflammable methane was releasing from the well that had prompted ONGC safety team to pour chemical mud and water into the well to reduce fire risk and environmental damage, Mr Satyanarayana said.
Besides, deploying trained onshore engineers from Ahmedabad and IR 501 rig in the site, it sought the help of M/S Boots & Coots which had contained fire in the Middle East after Gulf War II.
ONGC has been in gas exploration activities since 1972 and as many as 150 wells were drilled in Tripura so far, of which 74 are yielding gas. Its investment in Tripura was estimated at Rs 310 crores.