In a significant boost to India’s energy security, Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced on Friday the discovery of natural gas in the Andaman basin. The discovery, confirmed through initial testing, validates long-standing geological beliefs about the region’s potential and marks a crucial milestone for the National Deep Water Exploration Mission announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
What Exactly Has Been Discovered and Where?
Situated at 9.20 nautical miles (17 kilometers) off the eastern coast of the Andaman Islands, the discovery was made in the Sri Vijayapuram 2 well. The well was drilled to a target depth of 2,650 meters below the seabed, with water depths of 295 meters.Early production testing in the 2,212–2,250 meter range identified natural gas, with intermittent flaring confirming its flow capacity.
Gas samples were carefully transported by ship to Kakinada on the Indian mainland for detailed analysis. The results pointed to a high-grade discovery, with gas made up of 87% methane—the key and most valuable element of natural gas.
Why is this Discovery So Significant for India?
This finding is extremely significant both strategically and economically for a number of reasons:
Confirms a Promising Basin: It provides the first concrete proof that the Andaman basin, part of a larger geological belt rich in hydrocarbons stretching from Myanmar to Indonesia, holds commercially viable natural gas reserves.
Minister Puri described the find as a “significant step in validating the long-standing belief that the Andaman basin holds abundant natural gas.”
Boosts Energy Self-Reliance: The find aligns perfectly with India’s goal of reducing its dependence on expensive energy imports. Finding additional domestic clean-burning natural gas sources is essential to realizing the energy sector’s “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (Self-Reliant India) agenda.
Advances the Deepwater Mission: This discovery is a direct outcome of the government’s focused push into deepwater exploration. It validates the National Deep Water Exploration Mission—termed “Samudra Manthan” (Churning of the Ocean) by PM Modi—which aims to aggressively explore India’s offshore basins.
What is the National Deep Water Exploration Mission?
Announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech, the National Deep Water Exploration Mission is a high-priority, government-led initiative to explore and exploit oil and gas reserves in deepwater areas. Although exploring these areas requires significant financial and technological resources, significant discoveries could be made. The mission will be executed in a focused, “mission mode,” indicating the highest level of governmental priority and resource allocation. The Andaman discovery is the mission’s first major publicized success.
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The Road to Commercial Viability
The find may be confirmed, but production is still a long way off—the next step is appraisal.
Verifying the Size: The exact size and extent of the gas pool need to be determined through further drilling and seismic studies. This will answer the critical question of whether the discovery is commercially viable on a large scale.
Planning for Production: Plans will be created to extract the gas and deliver it to the mainland if the reservoir is large. This calls for substantial investment and intricate engineering.
According to Minister Puri, the discovery will “strengthen India’s ability to partner with global deepwater exploration leaders,” potentially attracting the assistance of major international corporations like Petrobras, BP India, Shell, and ExxonMobil that possess the specialized technology and experience required for such projects.
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