Lok Sabha Question No. 1736 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-01
Subject: Exploration of Oil and Gas in Assam
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Shri Kamakhya Prasad Tasa

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1736 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01 st  August, 2024

## Exploration of Oil and Gas in Assam

## 1736. SHRI KAMAKHYA PRASAD TASA:

## पेट Ō ोिलयम एवं Ůाक ृ ितक गैस मंũी

Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:

(a)  the  outcome  of  the  recent  oil  and  natural  gas  exploration  work  conducted  by  Oil  India  in  the country, especially in Assam;

(b) the details of the number of drillings and the places drilled by Oil India during the last two years in Assam; and

(c) the outcome of the efforts made so far along with the indications received for future and details of profit and loss of the activities made by the Oil India in Assam?

## ANSWER

## पेट Ō ोिलयम एवं Ůाक ृ ितक गैस मंũालय मŐ राǛ मंũी ( ŵी सुरे श गोपी )

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROELUM & NATURAL GAS (SHRI SURESH GOPI)

(a) Oil  India  Limited  (OIL)  has  been  carrying  out  extensive  hydrocarbon  exploration  & production  activities  in  different  states  of  India  in  the  fields/blocks  allocated  to  OIL  through Nomination  Fields,  New  Exploration  Licensing  Policy  (NELP),  Open  Acreage  Licensing  Policy (OALP) and Discovered Small Field (DSF) Policy.

OIL's domestic acreage under nomination regime is spread over about 4828.84 sq. Km in 16 oil and gas fields (14 in Assam, 1 in Arunachal Pradesh and 1 in Rajasthan) wherein exploration and field development activities are being carried out.

OIL is carrying out exploration activities in this operated New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) Block in Karbi Anglong, Assam and one block in Mizoram covering an area of 3609 sq. Km.

Besides, OIL has been awarded a total of 30 exploration blocks covering 55,828 Sq. Km. of areas under  Open  Acreage  Licensing  Policy  (OALP)  bidding  Rounds  I  to  VIII  under  Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy (HELP), out of which 17 blocks are in North-East India (11 in Assam, 3 in Tripura, 1 in Nagaland and 2 in Arunachal Pradesh), 5 in Rajasthan, 5 in Odisha, 2 in Andaman shallow  offshore  and  1  in  Kerala-Konkan  shallow  offshore.    The  blocks  are  in  initial  stage  of exploration activities wherein seismic & drilling campaigns are currently under progress. So far, OIL has drilled 9 wells in 7 OALP blocks (5 in Rajasthan, 3 in Odisha and 1 in Assam).

Further, OIL has 3 DSF blocks, 1 each in Tripura, Rajasthan and KG Shallow Offshore, spread over an area of 207.80 sq. Km.

The year-wise new discovery in the State of Assam during the last three financial years is as follows:

| Financial Year                      | 2021-22                | 2022-23   | 2023-24           |
|-------------------------------------|------------------------|-----------|-------------------|
| Number of discoveries made in Assam | 2                      | 1         | 1                 |
| Name of Discovery                   | Samdang-5& Borhapjan-8 | Sesabil-1 | South Baghjan- 10 |

Source: OIL India Ltd

The production of oil and gas in Assam during last 3 years is as under:

| Financial Year   |   Crude oil (in MMT) |   Natural Gas (in BCM) |
|------------------|----------------------|------------------------|
| 2021-22          |                2.957 |                   2.62 |
| 2022-23          |                3.114 |                   2.81 |
| 2023-24          |                3.286 |                   2.89 |

Source: Oil India Limited; MMT: Million Metric Tonne; BCM: Billion Cubic Metre

- (b) The details of the number of drillings and the places drilled by Oil India Limited during the last two years in Assam are given in Table below:

| Financial Year   |   Numbers of wells drilled | Places drilled in Assam                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|------------------|----------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2022-23          |                         28 | South Baghjan, Dholiya, North Balijan, Balimara, Dinjan, Sesabil, Khagorijan, Sadiya, South Tinali, Baghjan, Naharkatiya, Lakwagaon, Makum &Hapjan                                                                                                                     |
| 2023-24          |                         39 | South Baghjan, Namrup- Borhat, Singhibil, East Dinjan, Barekuri, Baghjan, Samdang, Karbi- Anglong, Dhakuwal, Bogapani, Moran, Sesabil, Naharkatiya, Balimara, Bachmatia, South Chandmari, Lakwagaon, Jorajan, Bazaloni, Kathaloni, North Balijan, Hapjan &South Tinali |

Source: OIL India Ltd

- (c) As a result of concerted domestic exploration and development activities, OIL has been able to consistently  maintain  a  healthy  Reserve  Replacement  Ratio  (RRR).  The  RRR  for  FY  2023-24  is 0.97.  Further,  as  on  31.03.2024,  OIL  has  accreted  67.2  Million  Metric  Tonne  of  OIL  Equivalent (MMTOE) reserve during last 10 years. In order to establish more resources, OIL has extended its exploration activities  to frontier  areas  with  the  objective  of  opening  of  new  plays  in  its  operating acreages spread across the different sedimentary basins of the country in which the exploration & drilling campaign is currently under progress.

The company has Oil and Gas production and sales in the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Rajasthan and has investments in Joint Ventures (JVs) and subsidiaries located in other geographies in India and Overseas and in other business activities

The net profit after tax of the company for the year 2023-24 was Rs. 5551.85 Cr.

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