Lok Sabha Question No. 3435 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-20
Subject: Discovery of New Potential Sources of Crude Oil and Natural Gas
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Shri Parshottambhai Rupala

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3435 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20 March, 2025

## Discovery of New Potential Sources of Crude Oil and Natural Gas

3435: SHRI PARSHOTTAM BHAI RUPALA:

## पेĚोͧलयम एवं Ĥाक ृ Ǔतक गैस मंğी

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

- (a) the actions taken by the Government to discover new potential sources of crude oil and natural gas as well as to reopen closed oil wells till date;
- (b) whether the Government has implemented any new technologies to locate these potential resources; if so, details thereof;, and,
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  identified  any  new  sources  of  crude  oil  and  natural  gas during the last three years and the current year, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## पेĚोͧलयम और Ĥाक ृ Ǔतक गैस मंğालय मɅ राÏयमंğी ( Įी सुरेश गोपी )

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

- (a) & (b):   The Government has undertaken various policy and technological initiatives to enable National Oil Companies (NOC) and other operators to discover new potential sources of  crude  oil  and  natural  gas  as  well  as  to  reopen  closed  oil/gas  wells.  These,  inter-alia, include:
- i. Policy  for  Relaxations,  Extensions  and  Clarifications  under  PSC  regime  for  early monetization of hydrocarbon discoveries, 2014.
- ii. Discovered Small Field Policy, 2015.
- iii. Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP), 2016.
- iv. Policy for Extension of PSCs, 2016 and 2017.
- v. Policy for early monetization of Coal Bed Methane, 2017.
- vi. Setting up of National Data Repository, 2017.
- vii. Appraisal  of  Un-appraised  areas  in  Sedimentary  Basins  under  National  Seismic Programme, 2017.
- viii. Policy to Promote & Incentivize Enhanced Recovery Methods for Oil & Gas, 2018.
- ix. Policy Framework for exploration and exploitation of Unconventional Hydrocarbons under  Existing  Production  Sharing  Contracts  (PSCs),  Coal  Bed  Methane  (CBM) Contracts and Nomination Fields, 2018.
- x. Natural Gas Marketing Reforms, 2020.
- xi. Hydrocarbon  Exploration  and  Licensing  Policy  (HELP),  2019  facilitating  lower Royalty Rates, zero Revenue Share (till Windfall Gain) and no drilling commitment in OALP Blocks under Category II and III basins to attract bidders.
- xii. Release  of  about  1  Million  Sq.  Km.  (SKM)  'No-Go'  area  in  offshore  which  were blocked for exploration for decades in 2022.
- xiii. Government  is  also  spending  about  Rs.7500  Cr.  for  acquisition  of  seismic  data  in onland and offshore areas and drilling of stratigraphic wells to make quality data of Indian Sedimentary Basins available to bidders. Government has approved acquisition of additional 2D Seismic data of 20,000 LKM in onland and 30,000 LKM in offshore beyond Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of India.
- xiv. New technologies like Airborne Gravity Gradiometry and Gravity Magnetic Survey, Passive  Seismic  Tomography  (PST),  Low-  Frequency  Passive  Seismic  (LFPS) Surveys  have  been  implemented  to  acquire  high  quality  data  for  processing  and interpretation.

The  Government  has  also  awarded  144  blocks  under  eight  rounds  of  Open  Acreages Licensing Policy (OALP)  biddings  resulting in 13 hydrocarbon  discoveries. Further, Government has approved 20% premium over Administered Price Mechanism (APM) price for gas production obtained from new wells or well interventions in Nomination fields which has led to 2280 well interventions across the country.

(c): During the period 2021-22 to 2024-25 (up to 01.03.2025), total 15 oil and gas discoveries in the blocks awarded in the production or revenue sharing contract regime and 24 oil and gas prospects in blocks under nomination regime have been made by Exploration and Production (E&P) operators.

*****