Essar Unit Drills India's First Multilateral CBM Well

OGD Services, Essar Global Fund’s investment in drilling services, recently drilled multilateral well for a client at coalbed methane (CBM) field at Shahdol in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Essar said May 2.

“The proposal to drill multilateral wells in CBM field was an exciting prospect as it was the first time ever in India,” Essar said.

Essar did not identify the client but according to information available on Reliance Gas Pipelines website, Reliance Industries owns CBM blocks in Shahdol and Annupur in the state of Madhya Pradesh. 

A multilateral well is a well with two or more laterals (horizontal, vertical, or deviated) drilled through a window cut from a main mother well. This allows one well to produce from several reservoirs at once, Essar said, adding that multilateral wells combine the advantages of horizontal-drilling techniques with the ability to achieve multiple target zones.

OGD had initially thoughts of a much higher capacity rig for horizontal drilling (under multilateral drilling). However, it deployed its existing 750 HP rig, and drilled one well successfully.

Essar said that the success of the first well has helped to enhance performance as OGD drills subsequent wells.