Lok Sabha Question No. 1915 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-31
Subject: Abandoned Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Sites
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Shri G M Harish Balayogi

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1915

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 31 st  July, 2025

## Abandoned Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Sites

1915. Shri G M Harish Balayogi:

## पेट Ō ोिलयम और Ůाक ृ ितक गैस मंũी

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

- (a)      the  details  regarding  oil  and  gas  exploration  and  production  sites  (onshore  and offshore) that have been declared abandoned across the country during each of the last five years, State- wise and contractor-wise;
- (b)    the  details  of  such  abandoned  sites  where  site  restoration  has  been  completed  is currently in progress and is yet to be initiated, State-wise and contractor-wise;
- (c)  the details of the funds allocated and utilised for site restoration activities by oil and gas companies during each of the last five years, company-wise;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  has  issued  any  comprehensive  guidelines  for  conducting Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) specific to the decommissioning of oil and gas assets and if so, the details thereof;
- (e)    if  not,  whether  the  Government  proposes to  formulate  such  guidelines and if so,  the details thereof; and
- (f)  the details regarding the monitoring and financial accountability mechanisms currently put  in  place  to  ensure  scientific,  timely  and  environmentally  sound  site  restoration  of abandoned oil and gas assets?

## ANSWER पेट Ō ोिलयम और Ůाक ृ ितक गैस मंũी ( ŵी सुरे श गोपी )

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

(a) to  (c):  During  last  five  years  (FY  2020-21  to  FY  2024-25),  a  total  of  721  oil  and  gas exploration and production sites (onshore and offshore) have been declared abandoned. The details regarding these sites and where site restoration has been completed or is currently in progress or is yet to be initiated during each of the last five years, State- wise and contractorwise is provided at Annexure A.

The details of the funds allocated and utilised for site restoration activities by oil and gas companies during each of the last five years, company-wise is provided at Annexure B. (d) & (e): As informed by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), according  to  the  Environment  Impact  Assessment  (EIA)  Notification  2006,  as  amended, Terms of Reference (ToR) are issued to the projects for preparation of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) incorporating a decommissioning and abandonment plan for restoration of the drill sites to its near original condition. As per the EIA Notification 2006, offshore oil and gas exploration and production activities are  categorized  as  'A'  under  Item  1(b),  necessitating  prior  clearance  from  the  Expert Appraisal  Committee  (EAC)  at  the  central  level.  The  EAC  appraises  the  EMP  and subsequently may  stipulate  additional  site-specific environmental  safeguards.  Based  on  the recommendations of the EAC, the Environmental Clearances (EC) are granted to the project by the MoEFCC. (f):  The  restoration  of  abandoned  oil  and  gas  sites  is  governed  through  a  combination  of regulatory  oversight,  technical  scrutiny  and  financial  safeguards  through  OISD  and  the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) who serve as the approving authorities for the submitted Site Restoration or Decommissioning Plan. This inter-alia includes well plugging, dismantling  of  surface  infrastructure,  waste  management  and  restoration  of  the  site  to  its original or an environmentally acceptable condition. To ensure financial accountability, the Production  Sharing  Contracts  (PSCs)  and  Revenue  Sharing  Contracts  (RSCs)  include provisions  for  the  establishment  of  a  Site  Restoration  Fund  (SRF)  or  Abandonment  Fund, into which operators contribute over the productive life of the field. Fund release proposals from the SRF account are however subject to satisfactory decommission work progress and with the approval of the DGH.

Further, the compliance and monitoring of the EC is dealt by IA-Compliance & Monitoring Division  (C&MD) of  the  MoEFCC  through  its  Regional  Offices  (ROs)  and  Sub-Regional Offices  (SROs) . In  accordance  with  the  Standard  Operating  Procedure  (SOP)  established , ROs/SROs conduct periodic inspections and prepare monitoring reports that are submitted to MoEFCC for detailed evaluation and follow up action.

******

Annexure  A  Referred  to  Part  (a)  to  (c)  for  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  No.  1915  to  be answered on 31.07.2025 regarding Abandoned Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Sites

| Details of Site Abandoned &Restoration During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25)   | Details of Site Abandoned &Restoration During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25)   | Details of Site Abandoned &Restoration During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25)   | Details of Site Abandoned &Restoration During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25)   | Details of Site Abandoned &Restoration During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25)   | Details of Site Abandoned &Restoration During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25)   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Operator                                                                             | State                                                                                | No. of wells Abandoned                                                               | No. of wells for which SR Completed                                                  | No. of wells for which SR is in progress                                             | Sum of No. of wells for which SR is yet to be initiated                              |
| AWEL                                                                                 | Western Offshore                                                                     | 1                                                                                    | 1                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
| BPRL                                                                                 | Gujarat                                                                              | 3                                                                                    |                                                                                      | 3                                                                                    |                                                                                      |
| GAIL                                                                                 | Gujarat                                                                              | 1                                                                                    |                                                                                      | 1                                                                                    |                                                                                      |
| GSPC                                                                                 | Gujarat                                                                              | 10                                                                                   | 10                                                                                   | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
| M/s Megha Engineering &Infrastructure Limited                                        | Gujarat                                                                              | 1                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 1                                                                                    |
| OIL                                                                                  | Assam                                                                                | 89                                                                                   | 88                                                                                   | 1                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | Eastern Offshore                                                                     | 8                                                                                    | 9                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | Mizoram                                                                              | 0                                                                                    | 2                                                                                    | 1                                                                                    | 1                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | Orissa                                                                               | 2                                                                                    | 2                                                                                    | 1                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | Rajasthan                                                                            | 15                                                                                   | 19                                                                                   | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | Arunachal Pradesh                                                                    | 2                                                                                    | 2                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
| ONGC                                                                                 | Andhra Pradesh                                                                       | 24                                                                                   | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 24                                                                                   |
|                                                                                      | Assam                                                                                | 86                                                                                   | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | Eastern Offshore                                                                     | 1                                                                                    | 1                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | Gujarat                                                                              | 265                                                                                  | 115                                                                                  | 13                                                                                   | 47                                                                                   |
|                                                                                      | Jharkahnd                                                                            | 2                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 2                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | kutch- Saurastra_offshore                                                            | 1                                                                                    | 1                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | Madhya Pradesh                                                                       | 10                                                                                   |                                                                                      | 9                                                                                    | 1                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | Rajasthan                                                                            | 12                                                                                   | 6                                                                                    | 2                                                                                    | 4                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | Tamilnadu                                                                            | 17                                                                                   | 26                                                                                   | 1                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | Tripura                                                                              | 18                                                                                   | 1                                                                                    | 11                                                                                   | 6                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | West Bengal                                                                          | 2                                                                                    | 1                                                                                    | 1                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | Western Offshore                                                                     | 116                                                                                  | 116                                                                                  | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
| PMT-JV                                                                               | Western Offshore                                                                     | 0                                                                                    | 38                                                                                   | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
| RIL                                                                                  | Eastern Offshore                                                                     | 7                                                                                    | 7                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
| Selan Exploration Technologies Ltd                                                   | Gujarat                                                                              | 2                                                                                    | 2                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    |
| Vedanta                                                                              | Assam                                                                                | 8                                                                                    | 1                                                                                    | 0                                                                                    | 7                                                                                    |
|                                                                                      | Gujarat                                                                              | 10                                                                                   |                                                                                      |                                                                                      | 10                                                                                   |
|                                                                                      | Rajasthan                                                                            | 8                                                                                    |                                                                                      |                                                                                      | 8                                                                                    |
| Total                                                                                |                                                                                      | 721                                                                                  | 448                                                                                  | 44                                                                                   | 111                                                                                  |

Source: DGH

| Details of the funds allocated and utilised for site restoration activities During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25) (Rs.)   | Details of the funds allocated and utilised for site restoration activities During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25) (Rs.)   | Details of the funds allocated and utilised for site restoration activities During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25) (Rs.)   | Details of the funds allocated and utilised for site restoration activities During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25) (Rs.)   | Details of the funds allocated and utilised for site restoration activities During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25) (Rs.)   | Details of the funds allocated and utilised for site restoration activities During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25) (Rs.)   | Details of the funds allocated and utilised for site restoration activities During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25) (Rs.)   | Details of the funds allocated and utilised for site restoration activities During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25) (Rs.)   | Details of the funds allocated and utilised for site restoration activities During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25) (Rs.)   | Details of the funds allocated and utilised for site restoration activities During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25) (Rs.)   | Details of the funds allocated and utilised for site restoration activities During last Five Years (2020-21 to 2024-25) (Rs.)   |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Operator                                                                                                                        | 2020-21                                                                                                                         | 2020-21                                                                                                                         | 2021-22                                                                                                                         | 2021-22                                                                                                                         | 2022-23                                                                                                                         | 2022-23                                                                                                                         | 2023-24                                                                                                                         | 2023-24                                                                                                                         | 2024-25                                                                                                                         | 2024-25                                                                                                                         |
|                                                                                                                                 | Fund Allocated                                                                                                                  | Fund Utilized                                                                                                                   | Fund Allocated                                                                                                                  | Fund Utilized                                                                                                                   | Fund Allocated                                                                                                                  | Fund Utilized                                                                                                                   | Fund Allocated                                                                                                                  | Fund Utilized                                                                                                                   | Fund Allocated                                                                                                                  | Fund Utilized                                                                                                                   |
| PMT-JV                                                                                                                          | 1,29,36,74,254                                                                                                                  | 1,29,66,98,304                                                                                                                  | 20,05,41,379                                                                                                                    | 20,20,66,552                                                                                                                    |                                                                                                                                 |                                                                                                                                 | 2,64,73,10,437                                                                                                                  | 2,36,36,66,925                                                                                                                  | 0                                                                                                                               | 28,43,30,358                                                                                                                    |
| OIL                                                                                                                             | 1,00,00,000                                                                                                                     | 40,89,520                                                                                                                       | 50,00,000                                                                                                                       | 63,47,757                                                                                                                       | 50,00,000                                                                                                                       | 71,98,049                                                                                                                       | 54,42,878                                                                                                                       | 1,61,74,244                                                                                                                     | 5,59,79,948                                                                                                                     | 5,76,65,809                                                                                                                     |
| ONGC                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                 | 44,00,00,000                                                                                                                    |                                                                                                                                 | 23,00,00,000                                                                                                                    |                                                                                                                                 | 2,67,00,00,000                                                                                                                  |                                                                                                                                 | 1,09,00,00,000                                                                                                                  |                                                                                                                                 | 3,19,00,00,000                                                                                                                  |
| Total                                                                                                                           | 1,30,36,74,254                                                                                                                  | 1,74,07,87,824                                                                                                                  | 20,55,41,379                                                                                                                    | 43,84,14,309                                                                                                                    | 50,00,000                                                                                                                       | 2,67,71,98,049                                                                                                                  | 2,65,27,53,315                                                                                                                  | 3,46,98,41,169                                                                                                                  | 5,59,79,948                                                                                                                     | 3,53,19,96,167                                                                                                                  |

Source: DGH