Agartala, Dec 29 - Public sector exploration major Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has found a huge gas deposit in the northeastern state of Tripura, officials said here Tuesday.

"The new gas pool was discovered at Sundalbari structure in southern Tripura," a senior ONGC official told IANS.

"On initial testing, the low resistivity sand perforated in the interval of 2164-68 metre produced gas at the rate of 160,000 million cubic metre per day."

"It is anticipated that this new discovery of gas would open up new avenues and approach for exploration of Stratigraphic Traps in Tripura Fold Belt (TFB) for adding considerable reserve base and enhance production potential in future," the official added.

ONGC's Sundalbari structure in southern Tripura, 115 km south of Tripura capital Agartala, is the one of the 19 structures mapped by the company for exploration.

"This discovery of new hydrocarbon would help in meeting additional gas requirements for the commissioning of the 740 MW capacity mega power project in south Tripura's Palatana," the official said.

The ONGC's biggest commercial thermal power project is to be commissioned in south Tripura's Palatana, about 60 km south of here, and the first unit is expected to be operational by 2012.

Since 1972, ONGC has drilled 142 wells in Tripura, of these 73 are yielding gas. The oil and gas exploration company has so far invested Rs. 31 billion in the state.

Tripura has perhaps the world's highest success rate when it comes to yielding natural gas. "We are striking gas in one out of every two wells drilled in Tripura, while the average ratio worldwide is one out of every three wells," said the official.

"Targeting to supply six million cubic metre gas per day, the ONGC has taken ambitious exploration plan in Tripura," the official said, adding that recently at a high level meeting here the 'Mission Six Million (MSM)' programme was reviewed.

ONGC's director (onshore) A. K. Hazarika and director (finance) D. K. Sarraf from New Delhi attended the review meeting.

To boost gas output, the MSM would be implemented at a cost of Rs. 1,946.22 crore ($417 million).

"The MSM project is to be implemented in three phases and Rs. 1,946.22 crore has already been sanctioned by the ONGC board for the first phase to be completed by 2011-12," the official said.  (IANS)