Asia’s deepest gas project starts production

First in trio of deepwater gas projects in partnership with Reliance that are expected to help meet India’s rapidly expanding energy needs

🕒 1.5 min read | 📰 News| 💡 Why it matters

A worker on the control riser platform (CRP) to which the KG D6 project is tied back

Ultra-deepwater

India has a new supply of cleaner-burning gas today after production started from R Cluster ̶ an ultra-deepwater gas project in block KG D6 off the east coast of the country.

Chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Mukesh Ambani said: “This is a significant milestone towards transforming India’s energy landscape, for a cleaner and greener, gas-based economy.”

RIL and bp are developing three deepwater gas projects in block KG D6 ̶ R Cluster, Satellites Cluster and MJ ̶ which together are expected to meet approximately 15% of India’s gas demand by 2023.

bp chief executive Bernard said: “This start-up is another example of the possibility of our partnership with Reliance, bringing the best of both companies to help meet India’s rapidly expanding energy needs. Growing India’s own production of cleaner-burning gas to meet a significant portion of its energy demand, these three new KG D6 projects will support the country’s drive to shape and improve its future energy mix.”

KGD6 project highlights

Integrated development

Gas production from the integrated development ̶ all three projects ̶ is expected to account for about 25% of the country’s domestic production by 2023 and help to reduce India’s dependence on imported gas.

The R Cluster project is the latest in a line of subsea tiebacks that deliver competitive production.

Crew members during an operators meeting on board the Dhirubhai KG2 drill ship, located off the coast of India

Gangway between the CRP and the MVW Falcon supply vessel

💡 Why it matters

India’s growing energy needs will require rapid scaling across a wide spectrum of energy sources and technological solutions. India is the world’s third-largest primary energy consumer today, with bp’s Energy Outlook seeing the country’s primary consumption set to more than double by 2050.

However, primary energy consumption per capita is significantly lower than most countries, indicating significant inequities in energy consumption. India consumes 5,274mb/d of oil, more than 80% of which is imported. Gas consumption is ~60 billion cubic metres (165 mmscmd), and more than 50% is imported. India is taking great strides to improve access to energy, making it more affordable to all.