New Delhi: State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) is planning to engage BP’s subject matter experts (SMEs) to support the development of its deepwater fields in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) Basin, according to people familiar with the matter.
ONGC, which reported a marginal rise in standalone oil production in 2024-25 after years of decline, is now strategically deploying advanced technologies and specialised talent to enhance recovery from mature fields and accelerate monetisation of discoveries.
International oil companies occasionally second their specialists to national oil companies in areas requiring specialised expertise. These SMEs provide services for a fee under a contract between the two companies.
ONGC has held discussions with both BP and Shell on engaging their SMEs for the KG Basin fields, the people cited earlier said.
In July, ONGC signed a preliminary pact with BP to collaborate on drilling stratigraphic wells in the Andaman waters. Under this arrangement, BP is expected to provide technical expertise while ONGC will bear the investment. BP has already shared a panel of SMEs from which ONGC can choose for both the KG Basin and the Andaman project, the people said.
In all, ONGC would require around 10 specialists, covering skills from interpreting complex geology to deepwater drilling and reservoir management, they said.
ONGC’s KG-DWN-98/2 block, located off India’s eastern coast, holds sizeable discoveries but has proved difficult to develop and monetise due to challenging geology. The block comprises multiple discoveries grouped into three clusters, of which only Cluster 2 is currently producing. The SMEs are being sought for the undeveloped fields in the KG block, the people said. ONGC is also in discussions with BP on a potential partnership focused specifically on Cluster 2, they added.
The KG block currently produces about 33,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and 2.5 million metric standard cubic meters per day (mmscmd) of gas-well below initial projections.
