Samples under Dailekh petroleum products exploration taken to China for tests

Kathmandu: A technicians’ team from China has returned home with the samples obtained from the drilling conducted under the petroleum production exploration project at Jaljale of Bhairavi rural municipality in Dailekh district.

The drilling had started towards the beginning of May last year. Geologist Prakash Luitel of the Department of Mines and Geology said that the drilling was conducted up to 4,013 meters below the ground.

‘The technical experts dug up to 4,013 meters deep and collected samples of soil and gravel from every two meters of the depth dug. The samples were categorized as a source rock, reserve wire and seal rock and were transported in a cargo vehicle and sent to China,’ said Luitel.

Luitel said 35 team members from China came for drilling and of them, only 15 have remained at Jaljale at present while the rest have returned home with samples.

He added that works relating to gas storage and processing for further extraction process would commence after three months. In the first month, the Chinese team conducted a field study in Dailekh to explore places having potential reserves of petroleum products.

Luitel said Ring houses were built accordingly and drilling had been conducted thereafter. Once the minerals reserve is confirmed at the research site, the team will undergo a financial assessment. Then only production-related works be accelerated.

It may be noted that an agreement between the government of Nepal and China had been inked on February 28 2019 to conduct research and feasibility study in Dailekh within three years.

The exploration process, which was conducted with the financial grant assistance of Rs 2.5 billion from the government of China, was stalled as well as delayed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.