Natural gas production at Reliance Industries' (RIL) KG-D6 block declined to an all time low of 20.88 mmscmd after the firm closed its eighth well on the fields. This is the lowest level of output since D1&D3 started production in April 2009.

The status report of the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) shows water ingress as the reason for the shutting of B6 well on the main producing fields of Dhiburbhai-1 and 3 (D1&D3) in Krishna Godavari basin of KG-D6 block on January 9.

It may be noted that the firm shut the B4 well, the seventh well on D1&D3 field, on November 29. The latest shutting led to the output slipping from D1&D3 to 16.98 million standard cubic meters per day during the week ended January 13, the report said. Together with 4.37 mmsmcd from MA oilfield in the same block, the output totalled 21.35 mmscmd in the week.

The output has fallen from 22.04 mmscmd in December end, when D1&D3 produced 17.66 mmscmd and MA 4.38 mmscmd.

In August 2010, gas output from D1&D3, which started gas production in April 2009, attained a peak of 55 mmscmd. RIL has so far drilled 22 wells on D1&D3 fields but has put only 18 on production so far.

The same problem has led to shutting of one-third of the wells on MA oilfield in the same block. Output from MA is half of the peak rate it had achieved in 2010.