Govt Opens 1 Million Sq Km Of Offshore Area To Step Up Oil & Gas Exploration: Hardeep Puri

(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, July 30 (KNN) India is witnessing renewed momentum in oil and gas exploration, driven by the opening of nearly one million square kilometres of previously restricted offshore areas, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

The move, initiated in 2022, has significantly expanded exploration opportunities, particularly in deepwater and frontier basins such as the Andaman-Nicobar (AN) offshore region.

“This strategic opening has triggered a surge in offshore exploration, unlocking previously inaccessible geological frontiers,” the minister stated.

Since 2015, Exploration and Production (E&P) companies in India have reported 172 hydrocarbon discoveries, 62 of which are in offshore areas.

Puri underlined the geological significance of the AN basin, located at the convergence of the Andaman and Nicobar Basins within the Bengal-Arakan sedimentary system.

This tectonically active zone, situated along the Indian and Burmese plate boundary, has produced stratigraphic traps favourable for hydrocarbon accumulation.

The AN basin's proximity to established petroleum systems in Myanmar and North Sumatra adds to its potential.

Recent gas discoveries in South Andaman offshore Indonesia have further heightened global interest in the region, pointing to a broader geological continuity across Southeast Asia.

Minister Puri attributed the sector's renewed dynamism to a shift in exploration policy, which has encouraged extensive seismic data acquisition, exploratory drilling, and increased collaboration with international partners.

“These strategic interventions have transformed India's exploration landscape and drawn global attention to the newly accessible offshore blocks,” he noted.

Among the most notable developments is the launch of an ultra-deepwater exploration campaign by ONGC and Oil India Ltd (OIL) in the Andaman region.

Drilling operations are targeting unprecedented depths of up to 5,000 metres.

One such well-ANDW-7, drilled in a carbonate formation in the East Andaman Back Arc area-has yielded promising indicators, including traces of light crude, condensate in cutting samples, and heavier hydrocarbons like C-5 neo-pentane in trip gases.

“These findings mark the first confirmation of an active thermogenic petroleum system in the Andaman offshore basin, on par with systems in Myanmar and North Sumatra,” Puri said.

While commercial viability remains under assessment, the results provide a scientific basis for focused exploration efforts in the region.

Providing an update on exploration outcomes, the minister said that ONGC has made hydrocarbon discoveries in 20 blocks, with an estimated reserve of 75 million metric tonnes of oil equivalent (MMTOE).

OIL has reported seven discoveries over the past four years, amounting to 9.8 million barrels of oil and 2,706.3 million standard cubic meters of natural gas.

(KNN Bureau)

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