Government oil and gas company Oil India Limited (OIL) has got another major success in the discovery of natural gas in the Andaman Sea. The company said on Friday that the presence of natural gas has been confirmed in the third exploration well dug in the shallow offshore block of Andaman. This is the second well of this block, where indications of hydrocarbons (oil and gas) have been found.
Gas reserves found 15 kilometers away from Andaman coast
According to the company, this well named Vijayapuram-3 has been dug about 15 kilometers away from the eastern coast of Andaman Islands. The well is located in a 355 meter deep subsea zone and has been drilled in the offshore Andaman block AN-OSHP-2018/1 being developed under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP).
Natural gas found during testing
Oil India said that during the initial production test conducted in the Eocene formation located at a depth of more than 1,900 meters, the presence of natural gas was confirmed through continuous gas release and flaring.
According to the company, after perforation in the well, the pressure increased rapidly and gas production started. Now the gas samples are being examined, so that information can be gathered about its composition, calorific value and origin.
Signs of gas have been found earlier also
Earlier in September 2025, Oil India had informed about finding natural gas in Vijaypuram-2, the second exploration well of the same block. So far, three exploratory wells have been dug in this block, out of which the presence of hydrocarbons has been confirmed in two.
The company believes that this discovery strengthens the possibility of large oil and gas reserves in this area and will help in formulating future exploration strategy.
Search and evaluation work will proceed further
After finding gas in September 2025, Oil India had started a detailed evaluation program in this field. Under this, the available 2D seismic data was re-analyzed and 3D seismic survey has also been completed in an additional 600 square kilometer area.
At present, the work of processing and interpretation of 3D seismic data is going on. After its completion, the company will start drilling new wells for evaluation.
Country’s energy security can be strengthened
This discovery by Oil India, a Maharatna company working under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, is considered important from the point of view of India’s energy security. If large-scale gas reserves are confirmed here in future, it can help in increasing domestic gas production and reducing dependence on imports.
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