Oil India finds natural gas again in Andaman, raising hopes of a new energy hub - Moneycontrol.com
The discovery comes after OIL struck natural gas at the Vijayapuram-2 well in September 2025. Representative Image Oil India makes second gas discovery in Andaman
The discovery comes after OIL struck natural gas at the Vijayapuram-2 well in September 2025. Representative Image Oil India makes second gas discovery in Andaman offshore region Discovery boosts Andaman Basin's hydrocarbon production prospects Initial tests confirm natural gas at over 1,900 meters depth Did our AI summary help? State-run Oil India Ltd (OIL) has made its second natural gas discovery in the Andaman offshore region, strengthening prospects of the basin emerging as a key source of domestic hydrocarbon production. The latest find was made at the Vijayapuram-3 exploratory well, located around 15 km off the east coast of the Andaman Islands in a water depth of 355 metres, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday.
The discovery comes after OIL struck natural gas at the Vijayapuram-2 well in September 2025. With two successful gas finds from three exploratory wells drilled so far, the company's ongoing exploration campaign has significantly improved the outlook for the Andaman Basin. Announcing the development, Puri said, "Initial production testing of the well at a depth of 1900 plus meters in the Eocene formation has established the presence of natural gas through continuous flaring.” The minister said the discovery aligns with the government's efforts to expand exploration activities under the deepwater exploration programme. "Under the Samudra Manthan Mission (Deep Water Exploration Mission) announced by Hon’ble PM @narendramodi Ji on Independence Day 2025, large number of deepwater & Ultra deepwater exploration wells are planned in our offshore basins to fully exploit our hydrocarbon reserves," he said.
Puri added that the presence of natural gas would support India's broader exploration ambitions in collaboration with global deepwater exploration experts. According to OIL, initial production testing at a depth of over 1,900 metres in the Eocene formation confirmed the presence of natural gas through continuous flaring. Following perforation, the well recorded rapid pressure build-up and commenced production, indicating encouraging reservoir characteristics. The company said the discovery points to a working petroleum system in the basin and could indicate the presence of additional hydrocarbon accumulations in the region. Following the earlier Vijayapuram-2 discovery, OIL launched an extensive appraisal programme, including reprocessing existing seismic data and acquiring nearly 600 square kilometres of additional 3D seismic data.
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