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E&P companies plan to enter delayed exploration blocks in Balochistan

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January 29, 2019: Oil and gas Exploration and Production (E&P) companies are planning to start work on some exploration blocks, which faced delay due to security issues, in different areas of Balochistan to find new hydrocarbon deposits and meet ever-growing energy needs of the country.

“Efforts are being made to start seismic surveys in ‘Kohlu Block and Block-28’ after getting security clearance from the quarters concerned,” an official source privy to the petroleum sector developments told.

He said Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) based on satellite images had completed in-house geological mapping of the Kohlu Block, covering an area of 2459.1 square-kilometer in districts Kohlu, Barkhan and Dera Bugti. While, efforts are underway to perform geological field work and 2D seismic data acquisition in the block pending since 2004, which will complete in eight to ten months, he added.

The source said Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) was going to start seismic surveys in Zarghon and Block-28 from February and April respectively, adding that the survey takes one-year time to complete as per international practice.

He said the Block-28, covering an area of 5,856 sq.km Sibi, Loralai, Kohlu and Bolan, was granted in 1991, but remained under Force Majeure conditions due to non-issuance of security clearance.

Highlighting importance of restoring confidence of local and foreign investors in the petroleum sector, the source underlined the need for establishing a Special Security Force as E&P companies were spending around Rs 14 billion annually on security of their crew and machinery.

He said around 300 to 500-member crew was deployed for seismic survey of any exploration block and “if we continued with the same pace and security, it will take around 680 years to acquire the seismic data in exploration blocks.”

(APP)

Posted on: 2019-01-29T16:32:00+05:00

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