Publications

Survey of Energy Resources 2007

Crude Oil and Natural Gas Liquids Country Notes

Within a proved amount in place of 1 652 million tonnes, the amount of proved recoverable reserves (as at 1 April 2005) reported for this Survey is 786 million tonnes, of which 410 million tonnes is located offshore. Onshore reserves have risen by 13.3% from the 332 million tonnes (as at 1 April 2002) reported for the 2004 Survey to 376 million tonnes, whereas offshore reserves are virtually unchanged. Data for 1 April 2006 published by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas show further growth in onshore reserves to 387 million tonnes and a sharp drop in offshore, down 10% to 369 million tonnes.

For more than 60 years after its discovery in 1890, the Digboi oil field in Assam, in the northeast of the country, provided India with its only commercial oil production: this field was still producing in 2005, albeit at a very low level. Since 1960 numerous onshore discoveries have been made in the western, eastern and southern parts of India; the outstanding find was, however, made in offshore waters in 1974, when the Mumbai High oil and gas field was discovered. In 2005-2006 offshore fields provided almost 65% of national oil output.

Total production of oil (including gas-plant liquids) has fluctuated in recent years within a range of 36-38 million tonnes per annum. In 2005, India produced (in million tonnes) 32.5 crude oil, 1.4 natural gasoline and an estimated 2.4 gas-plant LPG, all of which was used internally.