(a) whether the Government has stalled exploration work on several offshore
oil and gas fields which are critical to India’s energy security;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
(c) the corrective measures being taken by the Government in this
regard?
Minister of state in the Ministry of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI R.P.N. SINGH)
(a) to (c) The exploration work on several offshore oil and gas fields is stopped/
restricted at different stages on account of pendency of clearances from various
Government agencies such as Ministry of Defence (MoD), Defence Research and
Development Organization (DRDO), Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF),
Department of Space (DoS) etc.
Under the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) Regime, currently exploration
activities in 6 Blocks in Eastern Offshore, 9 Blocks in Western Offshore and
one Block in Andaman Offshore are affected due to non-availability of clearances
from concerned Government agencies.
From time to time, the Ministry coordinates with other Government agencies to
obtain necessary statutory clearances.