Reliance shut down production at the MA field on the midnight of March 22 for 45 days to connect more oils that will raise the output, a source said.
The MA field was producing about 18,000 barrels per day of oil from three wells when it was shut down. Two-three more wells would be hooked up in the planned shutdown period.
"The output is expected to rise to 40,000 bpd before the end of the April-June quarter," the source said. The Reliance spokesperson did not return calls for comments.
The MA field in KG-D6 off the Andhra coast, which began pumping out oil in September 2008, had produced 7,90,000 barrels of oil till December 9 last year, when output ceased due to equipment failure. It had resumed production earlier this month after the three-month shutdown.
RIL, the source said, sold a second cargo from the MA field to Chennai Petroleum Corp Ltd (CPCL). A 4,50,000-barrel cargo was delivered to CPCL's refinery near Chennai last week.
The billionaire Mukesh Ambani-run firm had sold the first cargo of over 4,30,000 barrels of oil to Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd's Vizag refinery in November.
