Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited today announced yet another oil find in the Cambay Basin, in an oil block in which it holds a 100 per cent participating interest.

It said that the discovery, named 'Dhirubhai-43' has been notified to government of India and directorate general of hydrocarbons.

RIL aanounced the oil find through a media statement, that it made the first oil discovery in the onland exploratory block CB–ONN–2003/1 (CB 10 A&B), which was  awarded to the company under the NELP-V round of exploration bidding.

"RIL holds 100 per cent participating interest (PI) in this block which is located at a distance of about 130km from Ahmedabad in Gujarat in the Cambay basin," the statement said.

It added that the block covers an area of 635sq km in two parts - Part A located in the west with an area of 570 square kilometers and Part B located to the east with an area of 65 square kilometers.

According to Reliance, 3D seismic data has been acquired over 80 per cent of the block area, while 2D seismic data has been acquired over the entire area.

The company disclosed that five wells have been drilled in this block, with the discovery having been made in the fifth well, CB10A-A1, which was drilled to a total depth of 1,451 metres in Part A of the block to ascertain the play fairway in the miocene basal sand' (MBS) of Babaguru formation.

The company reported a gross reservoir thickness of about 15 metres and the well flowed at a rate of 500 barrels of oil per day (bopd) through a 6mm bean with a flowing tubing head pressure of 360 psi on conventional testing. This discovery is expected to open future potential within the block.

"Commerciality of this discovery is being ascertained through more data gathering and analysis. This discovery supplements RIL's understanding of the petroleum system in this block in the Cambay basin. Based on interpretation of the acquired 3D seismic data in the Contract Area, several prospects have been identified at different stratigraphic levels to fulfill minimum work obligation under the PSC," the statement said.

In the NELP rounds RIL had won 45 blocks, of which it surrendered 14 to the government in October as it could not find commercially recoverable oil and gas (See: RIL surrenders 14 'failed' blocks to government from NELP-VII) after incurring Rs1,400 crore in unsuccessful exploration costs.

The company invested or Rs13,200 crore in oil and gas exploration and appraisal in the blocks but could make commercially viable discoveries in only two blocks-KG-D6 in Krishna Godavari basin and NEC -25 in Mahanadi basin.