Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Announces Natural Gas Finding In Andaman Sea

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday announced a significant natural gas occurrence that has been reported in the Andaman Sea, in a major boost for India’s deepwater exploration.

Talking to X, Puri informed that the discovery comes from the Sri Vijayapuram 2 well, located 17 km from the east coast of the Andaman Islands at a water depth of 295 meters and a target drilling depth of 2,650 meters.

Initial production testing between 2,212 and 2,250 meters confirmed the presence of natural gas, with intermittent flaring observed. Gas samples brought to Kakinada were tested and found to contain 87 per cent methane.

“The size of the gas pool and commercial viability of the discovery will get verified in the coming months but establishing the presence

of hydrocarbons in the Andaman basin is a major step in confirming our long held belief that Andaman basin is rich in natural gas, in line with discoveries in the entire area from Myanmar in North to Indonesia in the south in this belt,” Puri wrote.

An ocean of energy opportunities opens up in the Andaman Sea!
Very happy to report the occurrence of natural gas in Sri Vijayapuram 2 well at a distance of 9.20 NM (17 km) from the shoreline on the east coast of the Andaman Islands at a water depth of 295 meters and target depth… pic.twitter.com/4VDeGtt8bt

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) September 26, 2025

He also highlighted that this aligns with the government’s deepwater mission announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which aims to explore offshore hydrocarbon reserves through multiple deepwater wells.

“This occurrence of natural gas will help us in taking forward our exploration ambitions in coordination with global deepwater exploration experts like @petrobras, @bp_india, @Shell, @exxonmobil and will be a significant milestone in our journey through Amrit Kaal!” Puri added.