KG Basin – Hopes Afloat

The Krishna – Godavari basin spans across the coastal districts of East Godavari, West Godavari and Krishna in Andhra Pradesh. The basin is currently the hot spot for the Indian oil and gas industry. Three oil and gas majors – Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) have discovered gas, with some oil, in three different blocks in the KG basin. Men in orange overalls are engaged in a different kind of activity in the area – exploring for hydrocarbons, drilling as well as production testing.

Reliance India Limited – the biggest private sector petroleum company in India is planning to spend $12 billion on producing and transporting the gas across the country while ONGC has announced $3 billion investment in the area which is expected to be raised up to $10 billion later.

With a combined investment of over $30 billion as reported, the KG basin is viewed as an answer to the country’s gas deficit. The basin is expected to produce 120 million cubic meters of gas per day – about four times the gas the country would have received from Iran through the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline. Besides, the KG basin gas is likely to be 30 per cent cheaper. Many opine that the KG Basin will wipe out India’s gas deficit, halve the power deficit and change the fortunes of fertilizer companies.

Reliance Industries have commenced oil production from its D6 well in the Krishna Godavari basin last week and plans to release gas from the well by January 2009. According to the chairman of the group Mukesh Ambani, “This will account for 40% of the country's current hydrocarbon production”.

Whenever the gas becomes available, it will have a huge impact on the country’s fertilizer and power companies. Power and fertilizer plants, which consume 70 per cent of the gas available in the country, hope that the gas will allow them to operate at full capacity from the rate of 50-60% of their total capacity. Once all the gas from the KG basin begins to flow, perhaps after 2013, it can add at least 10,000 Mw to the country’s power output! That is more than half the country’s current peak power deficit.

Riggers: Drilling for Black Gold

How do you feel about a career that takes you to all corners of the world?
A job under the big blue sky?
A job where you work only for six months in a year?
A job that gives you the opportunity to meet and live with people from all around the world as one big family?

That's exactly the life of an average oil rig worker – a job with lots of travel, adventure and a sense of immense satisfaction. After all, drilling out petroleum to keep the world running is one of the most important jobs on the planet. The importance is reflected in their pay-check as well!

A rig worker’s job is to drill deep into the earth and extract oil once Geologists find them. Huge driller at the rig’s platform is used to drill deep into the earth at an incredible rate. Drilling sites can be both onshore of offshore. Oil reserves are widely distributed throughout the world – from vast snow covered landscapes in Canada to arid deserts in the Middle East, from dense African forests to deep inside an ocean's bed. A rig worker has to be always ready to go to places wherever oil is. Much like the adventurous army life without the killings

The job has its share of danger too. Sometimes, oil may flow out in an unexpected way creating problems for everyone at the rig. But then again, what is an adventure without the element of risk? This is a job where everyday is a new day, everyday you get to learn something new or find a new way to make things work better.

A career as an oil rig worker is apt for those who seek a life beyond the comforts of a cubicle. If you are looking for a challenging yet satisfying job in the great outdoors, oil rig is the place to be.

Getting Started

Energy @ Work takes a fresh look at the energy ecosystem from a different point of view – the perspective of the people associated with the industry (Oil & Gas, Power, and Renewable) and of those who are likely to be a part of it in the future.

We live and play at the intersection of the vital stakeholders who fuel the energy sector – corporate, academic institutions, professionals and students. As a team of energy enthusiasts, we will be delving into the various facets & aspects of the industry – technology, economics, career, lifestyle, environment, politics as well as many off track news and events as and when they occur.

Most importantly we will be talking about issues surrounding working and growing in this sector. We encourage you to participate, share and engage with us in dialogues that can help in building these synergies.