Lok Sabha Question No. 1856 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-14
Subject: Natural Gas Reserve
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Debasree Chaudhuri, Poonam (Mahajan) Vajendla Rao

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1856 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14 th  December, 2023

## Natural Gas Reserves

## 1856. MS. DEBASREE CHAUDHURI: SHRIMATI POONAM MAHAJAN:

## पेोिलयम और ाकृितक गैस मंी

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

- a) whether any survey/exploration has been made regarding the total natural gas reserve in each region of the country;
- b) if so, the periods when the survey was made and the total reserve of Natural Gas;
- c) whether  it  has  been  revealed  from  any  of  the  surveys  that  India  has  huge  reserves  of natural gas as compared to India's annual consumption of natural gas and if so, the details thereof;
- d) whether there is any policy to fully  exploit the natural  gas  reserve  so  as  to  reduce  the import of petroleum products; and
- e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

पेोिलयम और ाकृितक गैस मंालय म राय मंी ( ी रामेर तेली )

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)

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(a) to (c)  Hydrocarbon exploration is a continuous activity that inter-alia comprises seismic data acquisition, processing, interpretation, well drilling and  other exploration activities (like Airborne Gravity Gradiometry, etc.). Various such exploratory activities are carried out, under the  Hydrocarbon  Exploration  Licensing  Policy  (HELP),  New  Exploration  Licensing  Policy (NELP),  Pre-NELP/Nomination  Regimes,  by  National  Oil  Companies  (NOCs)  like  Oil  and Natural  Gas  Corporation  (ONGC),  Oil  India  Limited  (OIL)  and  other  private  operators  with whom the Government of India has signed Revenue Sharing Contracts (RSCs) and Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs). In addition, the Government of India has commissioned the following survey projects:

| Survey Activity                          | Period                                                                                                 |
|------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Hydrocarbon Reassessment Survey          | September 2015- November 2017                                                                          |
| National Seismic Programme               | Started on 2017-2018 and completed on 31.03.2022                                                       |
| Airborne Geophysical Survey              | Started on 27.05.2023 and acquisition is still under progress                                          |
| Deep Andaman Offshore Project            | Started in 2021-22 and Completed on 31.03.2023                                                         |
| Appraisal of Sedimentary Basin up to EEZ | Started in FY 2022-23 and Acquisition Completed, Processing and Interpretation is still under progress |

Exploratory  activities  have  resulted  into  establishment  of  about  3952.68  Billion  Cubic  Meter (BCM) of Initial  In  place  of  Gas  (2P)  with  an  Estimated  Ultimate  Recovery  (EUR)  of  about 1829.56 BCM gas in the country as on 01.04.2023.  The location-wise details are as under:

| Natural Gas reserves status by location as of 01.04.2023 (Provisional)   | Natural Gas reserves status by location as of 01.04.2023 (Provisional)   | Natural Gas reserves status by location as of 01.04.2023 (Provisional)   | Natural Gas reserves status by location as of 01.04.2023 (Provisional)   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Location                                                                 | 2P In-Place GAS (BCM)                                                    | 2P EUR GAS (BCM)                                                         | 2P Reserves GAS (BCM)                                                    |
| OFFSHORE                                                                 | 2195.50                                                                  | 1124.83                                                                  | 360.17                                                                   |
| ONLAND                                                                   | 1757.18                                                                  | 704.73                                                                   | 290.46                                                                   |
| Country Total                                                            | 3952.68                                                                  | 1829.56                                                                  | 650.63                                                                   |

Source: Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH).

During the FY 2022-23, the annual consumption of natural gas was 59.969 BCM.

- (d) & (e) The Government has taken various policy initiatives to exploit the natural gas reserves so as to reduce the import of petroleum products like reforms in Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing  Policy,  policy  to  promote  and  incentivize  Enhanced  Oil  Recoveries  (EOR),  policy framework for exploration and exploitation of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) from areas under Coal Mining  Lease  and  early  monetization  of  CBM.  Efforts  have  been  made  to  increase  the  net geographical area under exploration from 2.5 Lakh Square Kilometer (SKM) to 5 Lakh SKM. Further, Government of India has opened 99% of the 'No-Go' area of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for Hydrocarbon Exploration and Development.

In addition, to reduce imports and improve energy security, the Government has adopted a multipronged strategy  comprising increasing domestic production of oil and  gas, promoting  energy efficiency and conservation measures, giving thrust on demand substitution, promoting biofuels and other alternate fuels/ renewable, EV charging facilities and refinery process improvements for reducing the country's oil dependence on imported crude oil.