BIRENDRANAGAR, July 22: For the exploration of petroleum products, a Nepali team along with some Chinese technicians reached Dailekh for the first time on April 28, 2016. The team, which had planned to carry out the exploration works in three years, stopped its work in the middle due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to which, the second phase of the exploration work could not be started yet.
With the extension of two years time by the Government of Nepal to resume the exploration of petroleum products which was stopped due to COVID-19, it will be completed within two years.The government has given a deadline for the Chinese team to complete the second phase of exploration within two years.In the first phase, the Chinese team stayed and worked in Dailekh for about six months for an on-site study.
Seismic survey under petroleum exploration begins
The team conducted a study of 400 square kilometers area in six months based on Jwala Chetra Sristhan. Taking the Jwala Chetra as the basis for petroleum exploration, a survey was done by separating the area into three blocks in the east-west and seven blocks in the north-south.
In the first phase of exploration, a team of technicians and experts looked at the rock underground and conducted an MRI-like survey to see what it was like. In the second phase of exploration, seismic surveying will be carried out by sending vibration waves underground and drilling which will show how much petroleum storage is there, how far it is spread and whether it is economically feasible to extract petroleum products in the area.
