Government Invites Global Bids for Fresh Surveys Across Mahanadi, Krishna-Godavari, Cauvery and Bengal-Purnea Basins

New Delhi: Buoyed by recent natural gas discoveries in the Andaman Sea, the Indian government has launched a major offshore energy exploration initiative aimed at unlocking untapped oil and natural gas reserves along the country's eastern coastline.

The ambitious programme focuses on some of India's most promising sedimentary basins and is part of the government's broader strategy to strengthen domestic energy security, reduce dependence on imported crude oil, and boost indigenous hydrocarbon production.

The move comes shortly after Oil India Limited (OIL) reported another natural gas discovery in the Andaman region, reinforcing optimism about India's offshore energy potential.

India Invites Global Companies for Advanced Seismic Surveys

As part of the initiative, the government has invited bids from leading international geophysical and energy-survey companies to reprocess decades-old seismic data and conduct fresh deep-water surveys across four strategically important basins:

The project will involve the application of advanced imaging technologies to legacy 2D and 3D marine seismic datasets, followed by the acquisition of new broadband 3D seismic data under the Multi-Client exploration model.

The entire programme is expected to be completed over a period of approximately 36 months.

Why India Is Investing in Offshore Energy Exploration

India remains one of the world's largest energy consumers and continues to rely heavily on imported oil and natural gas to meet growing domestic demand.

By deploying modern seismic imaging techniques, the government aims to generate more accurate subsurface maps, identify previously overlooked hydrocarbon-bearing structures, and improve the success rate of future drilling campaigns.

Officials believe that integrating historical seismic information with newly acquired data will significantly enhance geological understanding of India's eastern offshore frontier and reveal new exploration opportunities.

The initiative is expected to help identify prospective drilling locations before future licensing rounds and attract greater investment into India's energy sector.

Mahanadi Basin Emerges as a Key Exploration Frontier

Located off the coast of Odisha, the Mahanadi Basin is considered one of India's most promising deep-water exploration regions.

Although hydrocarbons have already been discovered in the basin, commercial production remains limited. Geological experts believe the area holds significant untapped potential due to its thick sedimentary formations and deep-water reservoirs extending more than 8 kilometres below the seabed.

The basin shares several geological similarities with other productive offshore hydrocarbon provinces and is expected to play an important role in India's future energy strategy.

Bengal-Purnea Basin Offers Significant Untapped Potential

The Bengal-Purnea Basin is regarded as one of India's least explored yet potentially resource-rich sedimentary regions.

Offshore Bengal contains sedimentary sequences exceeding 10 kilometres in thickness, largely formed through deposits carried by the Ganga-Brahmaputra river system over millions of years.

Geological assessments suggest the presence of significant hydrocarbon accumulations, particularly within Miocene-age formations. Researchers have also identified indications of biogenic gas in parts of the basin.

Meanwhile, the Purnea sub-basin is believed to contain hydrocarbon-bearing formations dating back to the Gondwana geological period, making it an attractive target for future exploration.

Cauvery Basin Continues to Attract Energy Interest

The Cauvery Basin, extending offshore from Tamil Nadu into the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Mannar, is already an established petroleum-producing region.

However, energy experts believe substantial undiscovered reserves may still exist within deeper geological formations, including Jurassic syn-rift structures, fractured basement reservoirs, and offshore carbonate systems.

Some parts of the basin contain sedimentary layers approaching 8 kilometres in thickness, offering significant opportunities for future oil and gas discoveries.

Krishna-Godavari Basin Remains Central to India's Energy Ambitions

The Krishna-Godavari (KG) Basin remains India's most productive offshore natural gas province and continues to play a critical role in the country's energy landscape.

The basin hosts several producing gas fields and features a highly complex petroleum system that includes deep-water reservoirs, basin-floor fan deposits, Mesozoic formations, and gas hydrate occurrences.

Given its proven resource potential, the KG Basin is expected to remain a major focus of exploration and development activities in the coming years.

Multi-Client Model to Accelerate Exploration and Investment

To improve efficiency and attract private-sector participation, the government is adopting the Multi-Client exploration model.

Under this framework, geophysical companies invest in data acquisition and subsequently market the collected datasets to multiple energy firms. This approach reduces the financial burden on the government while ensuring that high-quality geological information is available to investors and exploration companies.

Industry experts believe the model can significantly accelerate exploration activities and improve investor confidence in India's offshore energy sector.

Advanced Technology to Map Resources Beneath the Seabed

As part of the exploration programme, specialized survey vessels will deploy advanced seismic equipment, including long cable-like instruments known as streamers.

These systems transmit sound waves deep beneath the ocean floor and record the returning echoes from underground rock formations. Scientists then process this information to create highly detailed images of subsurface structures located several kilometres below the seabed.

The technology enables researchers to identify geological formations where commercially viable oil and natural gas deposits may be trapped.

Strengthening India's Energy Security

The latest offshore exploration initiative represents one of India's most significant efforts in recent years to upgrade geological intelligence and unlock new domestic energy resources.

With India's energy demand projected to rise steadily over the coming decades, policymakers are increasingly focused on expanding domestic production to reduce import dependence and strengthen long-term energy security.

The success of these surveys could pave the way for a new generation of oil and gas discoveries along India's east coast, potentially transforming the country's offshore energy landscape and supporting economic growth in the years ahead.

(With inputs from agencies)