NELP VII receives encouraging response: Sibal

Mumbai, Apr 17 (UNI) The seventh round of the National Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP VII) has received good encouragement from foreign companies, Director General for Hydrocarbons V K Sibal said today.

Participating in a video conference from New Delhi at a function to announce the country's first level one training programme for drilling and well services technology, he said more than ten dockets had been provided to the bidders for each of the 57 blocks that would be made available in the seventh round.

He said India has generated a lot of interest in the oil and gas exploration field, in view of the successes in locating reserves which had now gone up substantially.

He expressed confidence that the Reliance Petroleum would meet the target of producing gas from the Krishna Godavari basin from June 2009. DGH had been periodically monitoring the press, he added.

Referring to the training offered by a consortium led by OCS services, he said there was dire need of trained manpower both within the country and abroad, in oil and gas sector. The certification programme, being offered, was a welcome step that would enhance the productivity in this sector and help the government in promoting India as a source for highly skilled, trained and competent manpower that was needed by the modern technology drilling units, operating in the country and worldwide.

Besides DCS, others in the consortium included the Tolani maritime Institute, Norwegian Drilling Academy and Caledonia Training and consultancy Limited of Scotland.

The six-month certification programme, aimed at providing highly skilled professionals to the industry. It was estimated that the industry required more than 50,000 trained professionals globally over the next ten years.

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