Mangalore: Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) announced the reception of the inaugural cargo of ONGC’s freshly discovered crude oil from the KG basin deep-sea block. The statement issued by the refinery highlighted the arrival of the new crude oil from the Krishna Godavari basin block KG-DWN-98/2, transported to Mangalore aboard the ship Swarna Sindhu, which was ceremoniously flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 2.

Describing the indigenous crude as “sweet” due to its low sulfur content, the statement underscored its potential transformation into various fuels and petrochemicals at MRPL in Mangalore. This, in turn, is expected to significantly bolster the Athmanirbhar Bharath mission of the Government of India.

The KG block KG-DWN-98/2, operated by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), commenced oil production in January and is located offshore Andhra Pradesh. Currently, the field is yielding approximately 12,000-12,500 barrels of oil per day, utilizing a floating production and storage offloading (FPSO) mechanism.

MRPL, a subsidiary of ONGC, anticipates that production from the field will peak at 45,000 barrels of oil per day and 10 million standard cubic meters per day of natural gas. M Shyamprasad Kamath, managing director of MRPL, emphasized the significance of this crude oil production in enhancing India’s energy self-sufficiency, projecting a 7% increase in the nation’s crude oil and natural gas production potential at its zenith.

He highlighted MRPL’s preparedness to process newer crudes, given its coastal refinery infrastructure, which includes three separate crude distillation units and essential supporting facilities. This has enabled MRPL to maintain a diverse crude basket comprising 250 types of crude oil sourced globally, with over 100 already processed in the refinery complex at Mangalore.

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