India's crude output expected to rise to 36.14 mm tons in FY2009-10

India's crude output is set to increase to 36.14 mm tons in the fiscal year April 2009-March 2010, compared with around 34 mm tons forecast for the current FY2008-2009, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, or CMIE, said in its latest review of the economy.
"The growth in production is expected to be largely driven by private and joint venture companies," the independent economic think tank said.

It said the privately-run Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL), which resumed pumping crude from its KG-DWN-98/3 or D6 block in the Krishna-Godavari Basin off India's east coast early March, will contribute to the rise.
RIL commenced commercial crude output from the MA field, also known as Dhirubhai-26, in September 2008, but shut December due to technical problems. RIL has yet to announce the resumption of normal crude output from the field, but it is expected to reach the targeted 40,000 bpd within weeks.

In addition, Cairn India, the Indian subsidiary of UK-based Cairn Energy, will commence crude production in 2009 from its Mangala onshore field in RJ-ON-90/1 block in north-western Rajasthan. Output will rise further once Cairn commissions the nearby Bhagyam and Aishwariya fields in 2010.
Total output from the three fields will account for almost 20 % of India's total crude output once targeted production of 175,000 bpd is reached. Cairn India holds a 70 % stake and is the operator of the block. State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp., India's largest oil and gas producer, holds the balance 30 %.