Mizoram debuts in petroleum search

Aizawl, Feb 11 (UNI) The Ministry of Petroleum has decided to carry out oil and gas exploration in Mizoram during the next financial year.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) sources here today said the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas had opened two new blocks of about 7000 sq km area in Mizoram for bidding in the sixth round of its new exploration licensing policy (NELP-VI).

Apart from Mizoram, Asom was also granted bids for five blocks - Sibsagar (144 sq km), Dibrugarh (218 sqkm), Lakhimpur and Dhemaji (1252 sq km) and two blocks of 95 sq km and 46 sq km in Tinsukia, sources added.

According to ONGC officials, MZ-ONN-2004/1 block in Mizoram covers an area of 3213 sq km in Aizawl, Serchhip, Mamit and Lunglei districts, while MZ-ONN-2004/2 covers 3619 sq km in Lunglei, Saiha and Lawngtlai districts.

Naftogaz, Oil India Ltd and Essar Oil had won the bids for both Asom and Mizoram, but Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh did not figure on the NELP-VI list.

Seven out of 25 onland oil and gas blocks, opened to bidding, are in the region and all of them are frontier area blocks, hitherto believed to be non-explorable.

UNI