Gas production from KG fields to start in 2008

NEW DELHI: Reliance Industries will begin natural gas production from its Krishna Godavari fields in Bay of Bengal from July 2008 as was previously planned.

"There is no delay (in production plans). We will begin production from June-July next year," RIL president (oil and gas) P M S Prasad told reporters here.

Doubts had been expressed in certain quarters about Reliance sticking to its production schedule in view of delays in procuring drilling rigs.

"There is no problem," he said.

On the company's 33 million tons Jamnagar refinery, the third-biggest oil refinery in the world, he said the unit will operate at full capacity during the current year.

Over 75 per cent of the products will be exported to Middle-East, Europe and Latin America.

"We are an export oriented unit and we will export 75 per cent of our output... It will be more than this," he said.

No refinery shutdown has been planned for the current financial year, he said. The refinery was last shutdown for maintenance in 2005 for 60 days.