The national offshore exploration programme will support seismic surveys, deepwater drilling and shared energy infrastructure.
The scheme aims to strengthen domestic production, attract investment and reduce India’s dependence on imported energy.
Highlights
- The Union Cabinet approved the ₹84,084 crore Samudra Manthan scheme.
- The programme will be implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
- It will run through the 2030-31 financial year.
- The scheme will support deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploratory drilling.
- It is expected to add over 600 million tonnes of oil equivalent to reserves.
- Shared offshore infrastructure and an Oil and Gas Manufacturing Zone are also planned.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the ₹84,084 crore Samudra Manthan national offshore exploration scheme to unlock India’s oil and gas potential beneath the sea.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will implement the programme, which will continue until the 2030-31 financial year. The government expects the scheme to strengthen India’s energy security, accelerate domestic exploration and production, and reduce dependence on imported crude oil and natural gas.
Samudra Manthan will support seismic data acquisition, processing and interpretation to help identify possible oil and gas reserves. It will also promote exploratory drilling in deepwater and ultra-deepwater regions, where development is expensive and technically challenging.
Scientific drilling in frontier basins will also be supported under the scheme. These are areas where limited exploration has been conducted and where the geological potential is not yet fully understood.
A major focus of the programme will be the development of common offshore production and evacuation infrastructure. Shared facilities could reduce the cost of bringing oil and gas from offshore discoveries to the mainland, making smaller or marginal discoveries more commercially viable.
The scheme also proposes the establishment of an integrated Oil and Gas Manufacturing and Services Zone. This is expected to promote domestic manufacturing of equipment, technology and services required for offshore exploration and production.
The government said the programme will include digital project management, capacity building, technology adoption, stakeholder engagement and international cooperation. These measures are aimed at creating a complete ecosystem for offshore energy exploration.
Samudra Manthan is expected to support the addition of more than 600 million tonnes of oil equivalent to India’s reserves. It could also generate employment, attract private investment and create long-term business opportunities across the exploration and production value chain.
Industry experts believe the scheme could reduce geological risks and encourage companies to invest in difficult offshore projects. Shared infrastructure may improve the financial viability of discoveries that would otherwise remain undeveloped because of high costs.
The government has already opened almost the entire offshore area for exploration and updated the regulatory and contractual framework for the upstream energy sector.
Through Samudra Manthan, the Centre aims to build a stronger domestic energy industry while promoting technology, manufacturing and economic growth under the broader Viksit Bharat vision.
