Reliance, BP start gas output from KG-D6

New Delhi: Reliance Industries and its partner BP plc of the UK on Friday announced the commencement of natural gas production from Asia's deepest project, putting the second wave of discoveries in the KG-D6 block onstream.

The production from ultra-deepwater R-Cluster, the first of the three deepsea projects Reliance-BP are developing in the eastern offshore block, started production, the two firms said in a statement.

Reliance and BP are developing three deepwater gas projects in block KG D6 – R Cluster, Satellites Cluster and MJ – which together are expected to meet about 15 per cent of India's gas demand by 2023. "These projects will utilise the existing hub infrastructure in KG-D6 block," it said.

Reliance is the operator of KG D6 with a 66.67 per cent participating interest and BP holds a 33.33 per cent stake.

R-Cluster is the first of the three projects to come onstream. The field is located about 60 kilometres from the existing KG-D6 Control and Riser Platform off the Kakinada coast and comprises a subsea production system tied back to CRP via a subsea pipeline.