A fresh natural gas discovery in the Andaman Sea has renewed hopes of unlocking a major domestic energy source for India. State-run Oil India Limited (OIL) has confirmed the presence of natural gas in an exploratory well drilled off the Andaman Islands, a development that the government sees as an encouraging sign for the country's offshore exploration programme.
The discovery was made at the "Sri Vijayapuram-3" well, located about 15 kilometres from the eastern coast of the Andaman Islands. Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri described the find as an "ocean of energy opportunities" and said initial testing had established the presence of natural gas through continuous flaring.
