India has announced a new natural gas discovery in the Andaman Sea, marking the second successful hydrocarbon find in the country’s ongoing offshore exploration campaign in the region.
State-owned Oil India Limited (OIL) confirmed the presence of natural gas at the Sri Vijayapuram-3 exploratory well, located approximately 15 kilometres off the eastern coast of the Andaman Islands. The well was drilled in waters around 355 metres deep and reached a depth of more than 1,900 metres within the Eocene geological formation.
According to India’s Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, initial production tests showed continuous gas flaring, confirming the presence of natural gas in the well.
The discovery is considered an important step in India’s efforts to expand domestic energy production and reduce dependence on imported fuels. OIL is currently conducting further tests to determine the gas’s composition, calorific value, and origin.
The Sri Vijayapuram-3 well is the third exploratory well drilled by OIL in the Andaman Basin under the government’s Samudra Manthan Mission, a national programme aimed at accelerating deepwater and ultra-deepwater energy exploration. With hydrocarbons now identified in two out of three wells drilled so far, confidence is growing that the Andaman Basin may contain significant untapped energy resources.
Officials say additional appraisal drilling and scientific studies will be required before the size of the discovery and its commercial viability can be determined. Even so, the latest find strengthens India’s hopes of developing a new offshore energy province in the Andaman region.
The government has indicated that future exploration efforts will continue in cooperation with international deepwater exploration experts as India seeks to unlock the full potential of its offshore hydrocarbon reserves.
