The Rs. 3900 crore Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation
(GSPC) is the flagship concern of the GSPC Group involved in exploration
and production (E&P). In its earlier avatar, GSPC went about pursuing
projects in the downstream hydrocarbon sector. However, the company
expanded its vision and scope of activities when it scented the opportunity
that came with the privatisation of the hydrocarbon sector in the
nineties.
Exploring the potential
The company acquired several discovered oil and gas fields in the
first and second rounds of bidding initiated by the Government of
India during 1994-95. This process achieved a further impetus with
the announcement of the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP)
by the Government of India in 1999. GSPC was among India’s
first companies to participate in the NELP bidding process and acquire
exploration blocks across the country. Today, the company even has
an international portfolio with exploration acreage in Egypt, Yemen
and Australia.
There has been no looking back for GSPC since it first acquired
the Hazira gas field in 1994. Among other achievements, the company
has struck India’s largest gas find at Krishna Godavari (KG)
basin and built the country’s first and only land based drilling
platform, Ratnakar.