State-owned explorer-producer Oil India confirmed the presence of natural gas in the third exploratory well it drilled, that is, Vijayapuram-3, in the Andaman shallow offshore block.
With the latest exploration, OIL has established hydrocarbon presence in two of the three exploratory wells it has drilled in the block so far. It had earlier reported the occurrence of natural gas in the second exploratory well September last year.
In a statement issued Friday, confirming the presence, the explorer-producer held, “Initial production testing of the well at the depth of 1,900 plus meters in the Eocene formation has established the presence of natural gas through continuous flaring,” adding, “Post perforation, immediate pressure build up was observed and well started to produce.”
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri congratulating Oil India on the discovery held, “This presence of natural gas will help us in taking forward our exploration ambitions in coordination with global deepwater exploration experts like Petrobras, TotalEnergies, BP India, Shell and ExxonMobil.”
Providing an update, Mr. Puri informed, “Oil India is carrying out gas sampling to assess the composition & calorific value of gas and to carry out isotope studies to understand the genesis of the gas.”
Oil India Friday also informed that it has already started the appraisal program for the second exploratory well.
“Reprocessing of available 2D seismic data and acquisition of additional 600 square kilometre of 3D seismic data is already completed, and processing of acquired and vintage 3D seismic data is ongoing,” he stated.
Published – June 05, 2026 08:53 pm IST
