ONGC mobilises crisis management teams after fire at Andhra well

Amaravati, Jan 5 Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has mobilised crisis management teams after a fire broke out following a gas leak at one of its wells in Andhra Pradesh's Ambedkar Konaseema district on Monday.

ONGC said preparatory work was in progress to facilitate well control and, if required, capping of the well.

In a statement, the company said the incident of gas leakage during workover operations at well Mori-5 was reported by the PEC operator, Deep Industries Limited, at the Mori field in Andhra Pradesh.

The well is located in a remote area with no human habitation within a radius of approximately 500 to 600 metres, and no injury or loss of life has been reported so far, the statement said.

“The area has been cordoned off, cooling operations have commenced, and ONGC has mobilised the Crisis Management Teams (CMT and RCMT). Preparatory work is in progress to facilitate well control and, if required, capping of the well,” the statement said.

ONGC said it has also initiated coordination with international well-control specialists, including mobilisation arrangements to support advanced well-control and casing-cutting operations, subject to site assessment.

ONGC’s senior management and technical experts are closely monitoring the situation, with additional equipment being mobilised from nearby locations, including Narsapuram, it added.

Meanwhile, Konaseema district Collector Mahesh Kumar said fire services personnel were making all efforts to control the flames. He said it would take around 24 hours to assess whether the fire could be fully brought under control.

The Collector said no loss of life had been reported so far, and local authorities and residents have been asked to remain alert.

As a precautionary measure, students from schools in surrounding villages have been evacuated, he said.

The Collector added that all required support was being extended to ONGC to deal with the situation.

He clarified that the Mori-5 well has no connection with the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) pipeline and said it is an independent well.

The Collector further stated that the Mori-5 well may contain between 20 and 40 cubic metres of natural gas.

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