New ONGC basin and asset managers for Assam
ONGC is seeing some dramatic leadership changes in northeast India, with a new Jorhat-based Assam & Assam Arakan Basin (AAAB) manager already in place and a new Nazira-based Assam asset manager expected in November (2024).
On September 30 (2024), AAAB manager Vishal Shastri retired after meeting the 2023-24 target of drilling 22 of 23 exploration wells planned across the basin. On October 1 (2024), exploration geologist Tarun Kumar Mathuria replaced Shastri.
Mathuria is expected to build on Shastri's legacy of improving seismic readings to enhance regional exploration. "During Shastri's time, there were two gas discoveries in Tripura, and a new play was discovered in the cretaceous sub-surface in the Assam Shelf area in 2023-24," says a source.
"Drilling 22 wells from a target of 23 is a good achievement given the rig shortage, difficult terrain, and other local challenges." Mathuria will have an increased target to drill 26 exploration wells in 2024-25.
He has ten years of experience in seismic data interpretation, including time spent at ONGC's Dehradun-based Geodata Processing and Interpretation Centre (GEOPIC). "In the past year, we used better software components to improve the workflow to process better and interpret seismic data, which is difficult in the fold belt," says a source.
He maintains that improved seismic imaging is the key to successful future regional exploration. ONGC has also improved its processes to secure environmental clearances.
"We're liaising better with local forest department authorities," we hear. Another long-overdue improvement is that ONGC is better at handling disputes with local villagers and fending off attempts to encroach on its boundaries.
Mathuria must deal with other challenges, too, the most serious of which is a rig shortage, which rendered Silchar's AAFB exploratory asset inactive for two years. "Deeper plays can be explored once a rig or two is available," says a source.
At Nazira, meanwhile, Rajesh Tiwary is preparing to retire as the Assam asset manager on October 31 (2024). In the interim, he will be replaced by a Nazira-based officer already on location.
Tiwary is credited with increasing Assam asset production by drilling more development wells and using better technology.