Reliance Industries (RIL) and its partner BP of the UK on Monday announced the start of production from the second set of new discoveries that the two are developing in the eastern offshore KG-D6 block. Reliance-BP, which had commenced output from R Cluster in December last year, started production from the Satellite Cluster, the two companies said in a statement. “Satellite Cluster field comes on stream two months ahead of schedule despite COVID-19 challenges,” the statement said. 

Reliance-BP is developing three deep-water gas developments in the KG-D6 Block – R Cluster, Satellite Cluster and MJ – which together are expected to produce around 30 million standard cubic metres per day (mmscmd) of natural gas by 2023, meeting up to 15 per cent of India’s gas demand. 

The developments will each utilise the existing hub infrastructure in the KG-D6 Block. Reliance is the operator of the block with a 66.67 per cent participating interest, and BP holds the remaining 33.33 per cent. 

The Satellite Cluster is the second of the three developments to come on stream, following the start up of R Cluster in December 2020. It had originally been scheduled to start production in mid-2021. The field is located about 60 km from the existing onshore terminal in Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh in water depths of up to 1,850 metres. 

“The field will produce gas from four reservoirs, utilising a total of five wells, and is expected to reach gas production of up to 6 mmscmd. Together, the R Cluster and Satellite Cluster are expected to contribute about 20 per cent of India’s current gas production,” the statement said.