The Union Petroleum Minister announced the discovery of natural gas in the Andaman Basin, confirming long-held geological expectations of hydrocarbon potential.

About Natural Gas

• Natural gas is a fossil fuel and cleanest-burning hydrocarbon, used for electricity generation, industry, transport, and household energy needs.
• Formation: It forms naturally from decayed organic matter under high pressure and temperature over millions of years in sedimentary rock formations.
• Composition: Natural gas mainly contains methane (CH₄) along with small amounts of ethane, propane, butane, carbon dioxide, and trace gases.

Key Sources of Natural Gas in India

• Onshore Natural Gas Sources: These are reserves beneath the land surface, extracted through drilling wells on land, such as in Assam, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Tripura.
• Offshore Natural Gas Sources: These are reserves under the seabed, accessed through drilling platforms in coastal waters, like Mumbai High, Krishna-Godavari (KG) Basin, and the Andaman Basin.
• Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Sources: Coal Bed Methane is methane trapped in coal seams, extracted as a clean energy source, with reserves in West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand.

Natural Gas Production in India

• Total production (2021-22): 34,024 MMSCM (Million Metric Standard Cubic Metres).
• Offshore vs Onshore: Offshore fields remain the largest contributors.
  • Offshore production: 22,869 MMSCM (2021-22).
  • Onshore production: 11,155 MMSCM (2021-22).
• Top Producing States (2021-22)
  1. Assam – 3,371 MMSCM.
  2. Rajasthan – 2,619 MMSCM.
  3. Tripura – 1,531 MMSCM.
  4. Tamil Nadu – 1,067 MMSCM.

Significance of the New Discovery

• Energy Security: Discovery in Andaman Basin enhances India’s self-reliance in energy and supports the goal of increasing gas share from current share of around 6 % to 15% in energy mix by 2030
• Strategic Importance: Positioning of reserves in Andaman Sea enhances India’s maritime energy footprint, complementing offshore exploration from Myanmar to Indonesia.
• Policy Alignment: The discovery aligns with the National Deep Water Exploration Mission (Samudra Manthan), enabling mission-mode hydrocarbon exploration during Amrit Kaal.

DOWNLOAD PDF