WESTERN GAS DEVELOPM

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The objectives of the Western Gas Development Project are to accelerate the production and utilization of natural gas in India as a replacement for imported petroleum products, thus saving substantial foreign exchange, and helping to overcome energy shortages which constrain economic growth. In particular, the project will: expand production of the offshore South Bassein gas field from 10 to 20 million cubic meters per day (MMCMD); support initial development of the Gandhar gas field, which will produce up to 3.5 MMCMD of gas; and eliminate flaring of about 1 MMCMD of associated gas at the offshore Heera oilfield, by linking it by pipeline to Bombay. The project will also appraise the potential of the outlying Tapti and Hazira fields by seismic surveys for possible future additions to India's gas supply and encourage optimal planning of gas production and utilization in India, through support for studies of the least-cost investments for field development and transmission infrastructure for the western region, and the uses of gas which yield the greatest economic benefit.