HYDERABAD: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) will invest Rs 8,110 crore to develop and produce oil and gas from 172 onshore wells across eight Production Mining License (PML) blocks in Andhra Pradesh.
A committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has recommended environmental clearance for the project during its meeting last month.
“The estimated project cost is Rs 8,110 crore, with the capital cost for the Environment Management Plan (EMP) at Rs 172 crore and an annual recurring EMP cost of Rs 91.16 crore. The industry also proposes to allocate Rs 11 crore for commitments made during the Public Hearing,” the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) noted in the meeting minutes.
While granting the clearance, the committee directed ONGC to strictly follow all environmental protection measures outlined in the submitted documents. All recommendations in the EIA/EMP regarding environmental management and risk mitigation must be implemented.
The committee further stated that, as committed, no wells will be established within 10 km of the eco-sensitive Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, as per the NOC issued in May this year. Additionally, no pipelines or related infrastructure shall be laid in forest land or protected areas without prior approval from the competent authorities.
