India to hunt for shale gas in 6 basins

To strengthen its hydrocarbon resource base, India has identified six basins as areas for shale gas exploration: Cambay (Gujarat), Assam-Arakan (North East), Gondwana (Central India), Krishna Godavari onshore (East Coast), Cauvery onshore, and Indo-Gangetic basins.

Shale gas is an unconventional source of energy found in non-porous rocks. It has become an important source of natural gas in the US.

“According to the available data and studies undertaken, India has huge shale gas potential. Six basins have been identified for offering subject to certain legislative changes. The Government is formulating a policy for offering these areas,” the Director-General of Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, Mr S K Srivastava, said. He was speaking at the 14{+t}{+h} Energy Summit organised by Assocham here on Tuesday. “Besides conventional oil and gas, the Government is actively pursuing other fossil fuel alternatives such as gas hydrates, coal bed methane and oil shale,” he said. In the field of alternative resources development, 33 CBM blocks have been contracted, out of which 30 blocks are under active exploration. CBM reserves to the tune of about 9 tcf have been established in these blocks having potential to produce more than five mscmd, he said.

On the hydrocarbons resource potential, he said “There is a vast untapped resource potential of 136 billion barrels. This resource potential has been estimated only for 15 sedimentary basins where data was available… The Government is gearing up to move to the Open Acreage Licensing Policy regime as soon as possible.”

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