India to expand oil exploration after energy crisis

लगानी न्यूज

२१ असार २०८३, आईतवार १३:१०July 5, 2026

. India has started plans to expand the exploration and production of domestic crude oil after the disruption of energy supply due to the war in the Middle East.

India’TAG_OPEN_div_30 s Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said that the energy crisis has given new impetus to the development of domestic resources.

India, the world’TAG_OPEN_div_28 s third-largest crude oil importer and second-largest importer of LPG, faced energy disruptions due to sanctions on the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Iran conflict. Oil and gas shipments from the Gulf region have resumed after the US and Iran reached a tentative agreement to stop the war.

According to Minister Puri, India is preparing to invite tenders for oil and gas exploration in about 250,000 square kilometers of land which has not been explored so far.TAG_OPEN_div_26 According to India’s oil ministry, domestic crude oil production was 25.98 million metric tonnes in the financial year 2025-26. This production meets only about 10 percent of India’s total crude oil requirement.

India has increased the number of countries importing crude oil from 27 to 41 to diversify energy supply.TAG_OPEN_div_24 Imports from Iran, Venezuela, Russia and various African countries have also increased. Despite criticism from the US and Europe over the purchase of Russian oil, Minister Puri said India has prioritized its energy needs over ideological considerations.

India’TAG_OPEN_div_22 s domestic crude oil production is mainly concentrated in Mumbai’s offshore areas, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Assam. Minister Puri said that exploration in the deep water area will be intensified, referring to the marine area around Andaman and Nicobar Islands as an area full of energy.

According to him, India is collaborating with international companies like Petrobras, TotalEnergies, BP, Shell and ExxonMobil for deep sea exploration.TAG_OPEN_div_20 Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the ‘Samudra Manthan’ campaign for 2025 and made the search for undersea oil and gas reserves a national priority.

Although the government aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2070, oil consumption continues to rise due to rapid economic growth and growing energy demand.TAG_OPEN_div_18 India is also increasing investment in diversification of energy sources by expanding the use of renewable energy, nuclear energy and ethanol-blended fuels.

Minister Puri said India’s energy consumption has increased from 5 million barrels per day in 2021 to about 5.6 million barrels per day at present and is expected to reach 6 million barrels per day in the near future.TAG_OPEN_div_16 He said that with an investment of about 10 billion US dollars, oil and gas exploration will be accelerated and studies will be started in about one million square kilometers of area which has not been explored so far.