Overview of the

Petroliferous basins of India

Topics
1)Historical Development of
Petroleum Industry in India
2) The petroliferous basins of India
3) Categorization of sedimentary
basins
4) Hydrocarbon Potential of India
5) Production and Consumption of
Petroleum (crude) and Natural gas
6) Perspective plan of exploration and

1: Historical Development Indian

Petroleum Industry
Indias Petroleum Exploration History spans
158 years since 1884, when an Austrian
Wagentreiber was given a lease to search oil
spills in the tracts between Bappapoong and
Namchik in Assam.
Indias 1st discovery in 884 in Well No.1 of
Digboi Oil Field, Assam..30 years after
worlds first well drilled in Pennsylvania, USA
in 1859.
Till Indias independence E&P was restricted
to Assam.

1: Historical Development Indian

Petroleum Industry
Today 23 Indian companies (Including 2
national) & 27 International companies
involved in E&P in India.
2 National Companies: ONGC & Oil India Ltd.
E&P companies are covering 70% of 5
million sq km area of sedimentary basins
including offshore area up to 1000 m
bathymetry.
Out of 26 sedimentary
petroleum producing.

basins,

are

1: Historical Development Indian

Petroleum Industry
Today 23 Indian companies (Including 2
national) & 27 International companies
involved in E&P in India.
2 National Companies: ONGC & Oil India Ltd.
E&P companies are covering 70% of 5
million sq km area of sedimentary basins
including offshore area up to 1000 m
bathymetry.
Out of 38 sedimentary
petroleum producing.

basins,

are

2: The Petroliferous Basins of

India
Petroliferous Basins: Basins with
proven hydrocarbon deposits and
basins with indications of good
hydrocarbon prospects.

Map of Indian
Sedimentary
Basins

Out of 26 Basins 7 are petroliferous

1889: Assam Shelf

1967: Rajasthan Basin
1973: A&AA FB
1958: Cambay Basin
1980: KG Basin
1974: Mumbai Offshore
1985: Cauvery Basin

3: Categorization of sedimentary
Basins
Based on the data accumulated on the regional basin
wide scale, the petroliferous sedimentary basins were
divided into 4 groups or categories (Bhardwaj and
Saini, ONGC, Dehradun; Rai et al., 1998).
CAT I : Proven Petroliferous Basin with commercial
production.
CAT II : Proven Petroliferous Basin awaiting
commercial production.
CAT III : Basins geologically considered prospective
with hydrocarbon shows.
CAT IV: Frontier basins which are either poorly
explored or having inadequate geological information
or are rated poor based on present concepts and
knowledge of petroleum geology but considered

Category I: Basins with Proven commercial productivity:

Cambay basin

Assam shelf

Bombay offshore

Krishna- Godavari basin

Cauvery basin

Assam- Arakan fold belt.

Rajasthan
Category II: Basins with Identified prospectivity:

Kutch

Andaman- Nicobar

Mahanadi basins

Category III: Prospective basins:

Himalayan Foothills

Ganga basin

Vindhyan

Saurashtra

Kerala- Konkan- Lakshwadeep

Bengal

Category IV: Potentially prospective:

Karewa
Spiti- Zanskar
Satpura- South Rewa
Narmada
Deccan Syneclise
Bhima- Kaladgi
Cuddapah
Pranhita- Godavari
Bastar
Chasttisgarh

In addition, the deep water areas beyond 200 m isobath up to EEZ

form a separate category and are considered to be highly
prospective. A total of 10, 90,923 sq. km. covering 15 sedimentary
basins are under exploration, which is about 35 % of the total
sedimentary area available.

4: Hydrocarbon Potential of
India

Conventional Oil Gas Production in last

5 years
As can be seen
from the graph
below, the crude
oil production by
PVT/JV Operators
is on the rise since
2010-11 and
stabilizing during
the period of
2013-15.
In case of Natural
Gas, production
PVT/JV Operators is
on the decline, mainly
due to decline in
production from KGD6 Block.

Discoveries
in last 5
years

6: Perspective plan of exploration

and development for

hydrocarbons
The ONGC and OIL, the two National Oil Companies and a few

private and joint venture companies were engaged in exploration

and production activities of oil and natural gas in the country. As
on 1.4.2007 in public sector, ONGCs Jurisdiction extended to 339
oil/ gas fields including offshore areas where as OIL was engaged
in 19 fields.
The long-term vision known as India Hydrocarbon Vision 2025
evolved by the Government of India to intensify exploration

and enhance hydrocarbon reserves, these includes

development of new as well as existing fields,
implementation of Enhance Oil Recovery Schemes,
recourse to specialized technology, enlisting the services
of international experts and encouraging participation of
private and joint- venture companies in the exploration
programme.

6: Perspective plan of exploration

and development for

hydrocarbons
ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL), a wholly owned subsidiary of
ONGC, is pursuing to acquire exploration and production
opportunities in Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, Latin America
and Southeast Asia.
In private sector, RILs overseas interests include a block each in
Yemen and Oman.

Summary
Oil has been mostly generated and accumulated in the
sedimentary rocks, the world over.
There are 26 sedimentary basins in India covering an area of about
3.14 million sq. km.
Basins with Proven commercial productivity are seven viz.
Cambay basins, Bombay offshore, Krishna- Godavari basin,
Cauvery basin, Assam shelf, Assam- Arakan fold belt and
Rajasthan
The Bombay offshore basin is the biggest among the proved
petroliferous basins of India and is contributing app. About 65%
of the domestic production.
With the increase in technology and exploration work, the
category II, III and IV basins may come and join the category I
basins.
With the country importing 70% of its crude oil requirements and
to increase the indigenous production, the programme such as
India Hydrocarbon Vision 2025 can prove to be fruitful.

References
Bhowmick P.K., Phenerozoic Petroliferous basins of India., Glimpses
of Geoscience Research in India, pp.1-16.
Bhardwaj V.K. and Saini S.S., Hydrocarbon Potential of India,
Glimpses of Geoscience Research in India.
Biswas, S.K., 2012. Status of Petroleum Exploration in India, PINSA
78 No. 3.
Indian Mineral Year Book 2007, IBM.
Pandey J. and Dave A., Stratigraphy of Indian Petroliferous Basins.
Journal of Indian Association of Sedimentologists (1984) 1-66.
Umathe R.M., Mineral deposits of India.
Bjorlykke K, Sedimentology and Petroleum Geology.
Einsele G., Sedimentary Basins.
Vishwakarma, R. Exploration in Sedimentary Basins of India for
oil and gas: A future perspective