NEW DELHI: Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday announced that India plans to develop a comprehensive ecosystem for deepwater Exploration and Production (E&P) technologies as it prepares to explore over 2.5 lakh sq km under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) Round 10. The tenth round of OALP is set to be one of the largest offshore exploration bidding rounds globally.
The announcement came following the Minister's visit to the Northern Lights CO₂ Terminal in Bergen, Norway. The facility, funded by the Norwegian government and operated in partnership with Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies, is the largest carbon storage project of its kind.
Deepwater Exploration and Production (E&P) technologies is the advanced methods, tools, and systems used to locate, drill, extract, and process oil and natural gas from reservoirs located deep beneath the ocean floor—typically at depths greater than 500 meters (1,640 feet).
The Northern Lights project can store up to 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. It features a flexible infrastructure that enables the transport of CO₂ from capture sites by ship to a terminal in western Norway, where it is temporarily stored before being piped 110 km offshore and injected 2,600 metres below the seabed for safe and permanent storage.
“We are reviewing this and similar projects to upgrade and expand India’s energy capabilities. Norway’s expertise in deepwater exploration, seismic oil surveys, offshore wind, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies aligns well with India’s ambitious energy transition agenda,” said the Minister.
During his visit, Puri participated in a roundtable with members of the Offshore Energy Cluster in Bergen, where he held productive discussions on a range of technologies. These included well services, subsea operations, testing and maintenance, drilling tools, submersible rigs, well completion services, high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) wells, drillships, and advanced monitoring technologies—key components of deep-sea hydrocarbon exploration.
Representatives from leading energy and subsea firms such as TechnipFMC, Reach Subsea, DNV Group, Odfjell Drilling, CCB Subsea, Shearwater, Innovasjon Norge, and Norwegian Energy Partners, along with Equinor India, participated in the meeting. His Excellency Jostein Dahl Karlsen, representing Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Energy, was also present.
Meanwhile, India is intensifying its deepwater exploration efforts to boost domestic oil and gas production.
Godavari (KG) Basin on the east coast remains the focal point, with ONGC's KG-DWN-98/2 block now producing oil and targeting significant gas output. Other ongoing deepwater activities include exploration in the Mahanadi and Cauvery basin.