Overview
Samudra Manthan (National Offshore Exploration Scheme) is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, translating the Prime Minister's Independence Day 2025 vision of unlocking India's offshore energy potential.
Key Features
- Approved Outlay: ₹84,084 crore (implementation up to FY 2030–31)
- Focus Areas: Deepwater, ultra-deepwater and frontier offshore hydrocarbon exploration
- Alignment: Viksit Bharat, Make in India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat
Need for the Scheme
- Offshore exploration is highly risky, capital-intensive, and technologically complex
- Gestation period of 5-10 years
- Single deepwater exploratory well costs $125-150 million
- Existing oil and gas fields face annual natural production decline of 6-7%
Objectives
- De-risk offshore exploration
- Attract private investment
- Accelerate domestic oil and gas production
- Reduce import dependence
- Strengthen energy security
Financial Allocation
| Component | Amount (₹ crore) |
|---|---|
| Drilling 60 deepwater exploratory wells | 43,200 |
| Seismic data acquisition | 28,534 |
| Common offshore infrastructure hubs | 10,000 |
| Oil and Gas Manufacturing and Services Zones | 2,000 |
| Total | 84,084 |
Implementation and Risk Sharing
- Government supports up to 50% of eligible drilling cost
- Maximum support: ₹675 crore per well
- Target basins: Krishna-Godavari, Cauvery, Mahanadi, and Andaman region
Current Progress
- ONGC: Plans to drill 150 deepwater wells over 7 years; assess nearly 5,600 MMTOE of potential resources
- Oil India: Exploring Andaman region; reported natural gas in Vijayapuram-2 and Vijayapuram-3
Production and Reserve Targets
- Add over 600 MMTOE of reserves
- Raise annual domestic production: from 62 MMTOE to 80 MMTOE
- Expand resource base: from 1.6 billion to 2.2 billion tonnes of oil equivalent
Significance
- Reduce crude oil imports by nearly ₹1 lakh crore annually
- Generate large-scale employment
- Strengthen indigenous manufacturing
- Develop globally competitive offshore technology and services ecosystem
- Infrastructure includes: common offshore production/evacuation infrastructure, integrated Oil and Gas Manufacturing and Services Zone, digital programme management, capacity building, technology adoption, stakeholder engagement, and international cooperation
Related Initiative
- Samudrayaan Project: India's manned ocean mission focused on deep-sea exploration using submersible vehicles