Domestic crude oil production fell marginally but natural gas production grew for the second month in succession during September 2015 compared to the same month last year.

Crude oil production during the month was 0.06 per cent lower at 3.042 mt compared with 3.044 mt in September 2014. Further, natural gas production was 0.88 per cent higher at 2.750 billion cubic meter compared with 2.726 billion cu.m. in September 2014.

However, for the April-September 2015 period, natural gas production was 2.14 per cent lower at 16.448 billion cu.m.compared with 16.809 billion cu.m. in the same period last year. Crude oil production during the same period was 0.43 per cent higher at 18.860 mt compared with 18.601 mt last year.

During the month, ONGC registered a 2.56 per cent increase in crude oil production at 1.856 million tonne. However, this was offset by a 3.32 per cent fall in Cairn India’s Rajasthan fields at 0.691 million tonne as compared to 0.715 million tonne in the same month last year.

An official statement attributed the fall to ‘underperformance of the Bhagyam well’.

Meanwhile, natural gas production grew for the second consecutive month even though the increase was marginal at 0.88 per cent over September 2014. Total production during the month was 2.750 billion cubic meter compared with 2.726 billion cubic meter in the same month last year.

ONGC’s natural gas production grew 2.08 per cent to 1.815 billion cubic meter. But, from its largest producing western offshore fields, natural gas production fell 2 per cent to 1.404 billion cubic meter.

Public sector exploration and production firm Oil India also contributed to the growth in the country’s natural gas production. The firm’s natural gas production grew 4.25 per cent at 0.227 billion cubic meter during the month.

Refinery throughput during the month was almost flat with a growth of just 0.48 per cent at 18.042 mt compared with 17.956 mt. During the month, two refineries of IndianOil, one of BPCL and Essar Oil’s Vadinar refinery, were under planned shutdown for maintenance.