Petroleum exploration in Dailekh nears completion

DAILEKH: Exploration of petroleum products in Dailekh district has reached its final stage. As of Wednesday, 3,930 metres of drilling work has been completed, with only 70 metres remaining, according to the Department of Mines and Geology.

Drilling for petroleum products and natural gas began on May 10, 2024, in the Jaljale area of Bhairabi Rural Municipality-1. Ganesh Nath Tripathi, Chief of the Department's petroleum project, confirmed that the drilling is on track to be completed this month.

In the first phase, the Chinese technical team completed seismic, geological, magnetotelluric, and geochemical sampling surveys on schedule. The drilling work is also expected to be completed ahead of time.

The project, implemented with a grant of Rs 2.5 billion from the Chinese government, has acquired 45 ropanis of land at Jaljale for drilling. A team of 80 people, including Chinese and Nepali nationals, is conducting the excavation.

The Department of Mines and Geology, China Geological Survey, and Cibu Drilling Engineering Company are overseeing the project.