Sivasagar, 26  June 

Leakage of gas continued for the 15th day from a crude oil well of ONGC in Assam's Sivasagar district although the energy major on Thursday claimed that it is nearing to control the blowout.

In its daily bulletin on the blowout, ONGC said it has achieved a key breakthrough in its ongoing operations in close coordination with international well control specialists from CUDD Pressure Control.

"The team successfully cleared all remaining rig materials, including staircases, entangled wires and other structural components.

"This critical step culminated in the safe removal and dragging out of the rig substructure, thereby creating clear access to the wellhead and enabling preparations for the upcoming snubbing operation, an essential part of the final well control process," it added.

The company also said that it continues to make concerted efforts to control the unabated gas discharge from the well.

The blowout took place on June 12 at Well No RDS 147A of Rig No SKP 135 of Rudrasagar oil field of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) at Barichuk of Bhatiapar. A private firm, SK Petro Services, was operating the well on behalf of the state-run Maharatna company.

The statement further said that ONGC is optimistic about completing the snubbing operation before sundown on Friday with steady progress and a focused operational roadmap.

"Arrangements for the deployment of snub lines and other preparatory activities are now underway. This phase will include the careful removal of the existing Blowout Preventer (BOP), followed by the installation of a replacement unit as part of the well-capping strategy," it added.

In a carefully planned and precisely executed operation, ONGC successfully connected hydraulic lines to the existing BOP to pressurize the unit and operate the rams," the company said.

The fact that this was accomplished without any visible increase in gas discharge stands as a strong validation of technical assessment and strategic foresight.

"The operation unfolded exactly as anticipated, reflecting the depth of planning, accurate pressure analysis and the disciplined execution that have guided ONGC's well-control efforts throughout," it said.

Adding to the momentum, favourable weather conditions throughout the day enabled the teams to maximise their productivity. The ONGC team worked to leverage the dry weather window and execute key tasks with high efficiency.

The company also shared another positive development that the Dikhow river has shown a receding trend, reducing the immediate threat of flooding and supporting site accessibility and logistics.

Water is being pumped continuously at high pressure from the Dikhow river, which is flowing near the rig.

"The corporation remains committed to executing every stage of the operation with utmost precision, safety and environmental responsibility," it added.

Three blowout experts from the US reached the site on June 20 and are actively engaged in the massive exercise to control the well.

Last week, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had urged Petroleum and Natural Gas minister Hardeep S Puri to ask the energy major to ramp up their effort to control the blowout in a 'mission mode'.

Sarma had also written to Puri and said locals believe that there has been "inadequate urgency and seriousness in ONGC's response" while trying to control the well.

The prolonged nature of the incident is causing considerable distress in the surrounding villages as already more than 330 families have been evacuated from their homes and are being supported with basic relief and safety measures at a camp set up in nearby Bangaon.

The Assam government has announced a financial aid of Rs 25,000 each to about 350 families affected by the blowout.

An official of ONGC had earlier said that it was an old crude well without production and a perforation job was going on for zone transfer at the time of the blowout.