Central Mine Planning & Design Institute (CMPDI) submitted data package for six shale gas blocks to the Directorate-General of Hydrocarbons.
These include two blocks in Ranigunj coalfields of the Damodar basin in West Bengal. They are most prolific with a reserve potential of 50 billion cubic metre. The others are in Jharia, also in the Damodar basin, and in the Cauvery basin.
The data package for the shale blocks were prepared by
CMPDI as part of a Rs 40-crore contract.
In the first round of auction, which is expected later this year, government may award these six shale gas blocks, reports indicate.
It may be learnt that CMPDI prepared the data packages of the 33 coal bed methane (CBM) assets auctioned so far by the centre.
It is learnt that the government has prepared a list of shale gas assets to be auctioned in the next four rounds.
High in methane content, shale gas lies trapped in little bubbles inside shale rock formation, extensively found across different sedimentary basins, including coalfields.
Shale gas is extracted through advanced techniques like hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, which are being used in the last 10 years.
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