Oil India Launches Deepwater Drilling in Kerala–Konkan Basin: What’s Next?
Oil India Limited (OIL) has begun a landmark offshore drilling campaign in the Kerala–Konkan Basin, marking a major push in India’s efforts to expand domestic energy exploration. The company has commenced drilling its first well in this frontier basin as part of a deeper exploration strategy.
The planned well will be drilled to a depth of around 6,000 metres and lies roughly 20 nautical miles off the western coast. It is set to become one of the deepest offshore wells in Indian waters, highlighting the scale and ambition of this new programme.
The drilling is backed by more than 1,028 sq km of 3D seismic survey data, which helps identify promising geological structures beneath the seabed. This data will guide Oil India as it tests key Cretaceous-era formations in the basin, considered high-potential zones globally.
Is This the Breakthrough India Needs in Offshore Exploration?
India currently imports about 80% of its crude oil and around 50% of its natural gas needs, making domestic exploration crucial for long-term energy security. Despite having nearly 3.5 million sq km of sedimentary basins, only around 8% have been deeply explored.
The Kerala–Konkan Basin is a Category-III frontier basin, meaning it remains largely unexplored but holds significant geological potential. Exploring such basins allows India to diversify its resource base beyond traditional zones such as the Mumbai offshore region.
Momentum for deepwater exploration has also been rising in other Indian basins, including the Andaman offshore region, where early drilling results have pointed to promising gas-bearing zones. Initial assessments suggest the area could emerge as a significant energy province.
India’s growing energy needs and its dependence on foreign supplies have intensified the push to identify large new reserves domestically. Offshore discoveries could play a transformative role in this shift.
How Global Partnerships Strengthening India’s Deepwater Push?
Earlier this month, Oil India signed a Technology Service Agreement with French energy major TotalEnergies to support deep and ultra-deepwater exploration across Indian sedimentary basins.
The agreement gives Oil India access to TotalEnergies’ global expertise in advanced offshore drilling technologies, seismic interpretation, and stratigraphic studies, tools essential for ultra-deepwater operations.
The collaboration will also cover deepwater blocks in the Mahanadi and Krishna-Godavari basins, which Oil India secured under the ninth round of the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP). Both companies may jointly evaluate future exploration bids as well.
The two companies will also work together on appraising a gas discovery in the Andaman Basin, a region that has already shown early signs of potential. Oil India won two blocks in this basin in 2020, and ongoing studies continue to expand the geological understanding of the area.
Industry experts say global partnerships are essential because deepwater exploration requires niche expertise and large-scale investment. International oil companies bring decades of technical experience needed for handling complex offshore geology. On those lines, Oil India has been deepening its global relationships, including signing an MoU with Petrobras earlier this year to jointly explore offshore opportunities in India.
Could the Kerala–Konkan Discovery Become India’s ‘Guyana Moment’?
India has long believed that its offshore zones remain vastly underexplored, and newer campaigns such as the Kerala–Konkan drilling could test that belief. Analysts say a major discovery here could shift India’s energy narrative significantly.
Recent optimism around the Andaman Basin, where natural gas reserves were discovered, has strengthened confidence that India may hold large untapped offshore resources, similar to the string of discoveries that reshaped Guyana’s economy.
If the Kerala–Konkan drilling finds commercially viable hydrocarbons, it could reduce India’s reliance on imported crude and natural gas, easing long-term economic pressure and supporting domestic supply security.
Large offshore finds would also encourage more international companies to partner with India and invest in exploration, accelerating the pace of offshore development and technological adoption.
As India steps into a new phase of offshore exploration, the key question remains: could this drilling campaign redefine the country’s energy future?
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