PRESS NOTE
India
is 4th largest oil and gas consumer in the world after USA. China and Japan. Share of crude Oil and Gas
in primary energy consumption is about 40.3%, which is second to coal which
is meeting 53% of the total requirements. In recent years, natural gas has
increasingly become the preferred option globally, as it offers clean and low
price energy equivalence to expensive liquid fuel. Demand of natural gas in India was 179
MMSCMD during the year 2010-11 and it is projected to be 473 MMSCMD in
2016-171. As against this, the total production of natural gas
from indigenous sources was 146 MMSCMD during the year 2010-11. Thus, there
is an express need for availability of natural gas to be enhanced. This has
necessitated the need to explore vigorously for unconventional or alternate
hydrocarbon resources like Coal Bed Methane (CBM), Shale Gas / Oil, and Gas
Hydrates etc. Unconventional gas resources are also natural gas deposits but
in a different and difficult environment from the exploitation point of view.
Success of the recent specialized techniques such as horizontal drilling combined
with fracturing of the rock has led to path breaking development of Shale Gas
as an unconventional or alternate gas resource.
In line with the policy of the
Government of India attracting private investment to move towards self
reliance in the indigenous production of oil and gas sector, it is important
to have a framework to facilitate and regulate Shale Oil and Gas Exploration
and Exploitation.
Government of India has invited
suggestions from the general public, all stake holders, experts in Oil &
Gas sector, environmental experts, NGOs, other persons and entities
concerned, on the draft policy for exploration and exploitation of Shale Oil
and Gas in India. The draft policy has been posted in the website of Ministry
of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoP&NG) and
Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH).The comments and suggestions may be
sent to the following address not later than 31.08.2012.
The
Joint Secretary (Exploration),
Ministry
of Petroleum & Natural Gas,
Shastri Bhavan,
New Delhi
-110001
Email
ID: mopng.shalepolicy@gmail.com
***
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India
New Delhi July 31, 2012
RCJ/RKS
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