Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has announced the discovery of natural gas in the Andaman basin, validating long-held beliefs that the Andaman Sea holds significant hydrocarbon reserves.

In a social media post, Puri described the find as “an ocean of energy opportunities,” confirming the occurrence of natural gas in the Sri Vijayapuram-2 well, located 17 km from the east coast of the Andaman Islands at a water depth of 295 metres and target depth of 2,650 metres. Initial production testing between 2,212 and 2,250 metres confirmed the presence of natural gas with intermittent flaring.

Samples transported to Kakinada were tested and found to contain 87 per cent methane. While the size and commercial viability of the reserves will be verified in the coming months, Puri said the discovery establishes the presence of hydrocarbons in the basin, consistent with similar finds stretching from Myanmar to Indonesia.

He further noted that under the National Deep Water Exploration Mission, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day, several deepwater exploration wells are planned across India’s offshore basins. The Minister emphasised that this discovery is a milestone for India’s energy security, supporting the nation’s ambition to expand domestic hydrocarbon exploration in coordination with global experts.