(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
In New Delhi, Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Admiral D K Joshi (Retd), met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The Prime Minister’s Office shared the news on X, highlighting the visit as a key moment for the island territory.
This meeting comes at an exciting time for India’s push to unlock oil and gas potential in the Andaman-Nicobar Basin. The central government is ramping up efforts to find crude oil and hydrocarbon reserves there, all to boost the country’s long-term energy security and cut down on fuel imports.
Thanks to the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP), authorities have already awarded four blocks for oil and gas exploration in the basin, spanning about 23,261 square kilometers. Teams have gathered 8,501 line kilometers of 2D seismic data and 3,270 square kilometers of 3D seismic data in these areas. So far, they’ve drilled three wells to probe deeper.
The momentum continues with the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP)-X, which has put four more blocks on offer—totaling 47,058 square kilometers—in the Andaman Basin. A major study, the India Hydrocarbon Resource Assessment Study (HRAS), pegs the basin’s hydrocarbon resources at around 371 million metric tons of oil equivalent.
Recent advances include a massive 2D broadband seismic survey completed in 2024, covering 80,000 line kilometers across India’s Exclusive Economic Zone, with a focus on Andaman offshore areas. This has delivered crucial underground data to spot promising hydrocarbon reserves. Plus, Oil India Limited stepped up in 2021-22 by collecting 22,555 line kilometers of 2D seismic data in the Deep Andaman Offshore Survey.
Geologically, the Andaman-Nicobar Basin sits at a dynamic crossroads of the Andaman and Nicobar sedimentary systems, tied to the Bengal-Arakan region. It’s near the boundary of the Indian and Burmese plates, creating natural traps where oil and gas can build up. The area’s potential shines brighter next to proven oil fields in Myanmar and North Sumatra. Fresh gas finds in Indonesia’s South Andaman offshore have sparked global buzz, underscoring the shared geology across the region.
Keep in mind, every sedimentary basin has its own unique geology, hydrocarbon setups, opportunities, and hurdles. Experts avoid straight-up comparisons between basins, instead tailoring economic and strategic reviews to each one’s specifics for smarter policy choices.
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