US experts to help put out Baghjan fire
In order to contain the Baghjan blowout and fire, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOPNG), has now roped in the US Department of Energy (DOE) and US specialists on oil and gas disaster control.
Senior officials of the ministry, along with top executives of Oil India and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), the crisis management team and other experts held detailed discussions with senior officials of the USDOE and US specialists on oil and gas disaster control, on Saturday on containment of the blowout and fire in the gas well of Oil India (OIL) at Baghjan in Tinsukia District of Assam.
On May 27, a producing well at Baghjan Oilfield became very active while work-over operations were on leading to uncontrolled release of natural gas. Later on June 9, two people died and four others were injured due to the massive fire that erupted at the site. Singaporebased Alert Disaster Control, one of the largest disaster management companies in the oil and gas sector, has already joined the team of experts from ONGC and OIL. Experts from Alert also attended the meeting.
At Saturday's meeting, the US side shared their experience in dealing with similar gas blowouts. The Indian side elaborated on the efforts at Baghjan to contain the fire and also preparations for capping the well, including preventing the fire’s spread, removal of debris, use of modern technologies, including drones and eventual remediation process. “The US DOE and experts have broadly endorsed the steps taken so far by OIL and ONGC experts, and also the plans outlined in containing the fire as well as to cap the well. Both sides decided to exchange views again in the coming days and also review the progress on capping the well,” read a statement by the ministry on Saturday. These discussions were held as part of the ongoing India-us strategic energy partnership.
At the same time, a joint site visit was carried out on Saturday by OIL, ONGC and experts from M/alert. “Equipment list required for well control shared with ONGC,” said an OIL statement. The company has already started preliminary work of arranging facilities for well control operation. The Baghjan field is within striking distance of DibruSaikhowa National Park, the Maguri Motapung wetlands, and the forest villages of Barekuri and is considered a habitat of the hoolock gibbon and Gangetic dolphins.
Pradhan to visit
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will visit the Baghjan gas well site in Assam's Tinsukia district on Sunday to review the situation arising after a blowout and successive inferno that killed two persons. Pradhan, who reached Assam on Saturday, said he will go through a detailed plan to control the well fire which has been prepared in consultation with the foreign experts.
“The prime minister has been monitoring the situation very closely. I have come here for a field visit of the Baghjan site. I am in regular touch with the chief minister and along with him will visit the place and review the situation tomorrow (Sunday),” the union minister told reporters at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati.