NEW DELHI, August 3 — The Union Cabinet approved an extensive offshore energy initiative valued at Rs 84,000 crore to expand marine oil and gas exploration across key maritime zones. The program focuses on accelerating seismic surveys, modernizing deepwater mapping, and facilitating infrastructure development in untapped oceanic basins.
The initiative aims to reduce energy import dependency by encouraging domestic production and streamlining regulatory approvals for exploration companies operating off India’s coastline.
Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri stated that the program represents a strategic investment toward enhancing energy self-reliance and unlocking uncharted marine basins. He declared that targeted infrastructure expansion will provide long-term energy stability for industrial and domestic consumers across the country.
Under the framework, public sector energy enterprises and domestic energy partners will collaborate on deep-water surveys, employing high-resolution geophysical techniques to locate potential hydrocarbon reserves. The government also plans to set up dedicated monitoring committees to ensure project milestones align with national sustainability goals.
Senior Petroleum Ministry Official Rameshwar Teli affirmed that the expanded survey framework will attract private investments and state-of-the-art technological partnerships into operational zones. He maintained that streamlined operational guidelines will significantly reduce lead times from initial survey phases to production readiness.
