Cairn leads with cutting-edge technology to elevate domestic oil & gas output

New Delhi [India], June 15 : Cairn Oil & Gas, a subsidiary of the Vedanta Group and India's largest private oil and gas exploration and production company, is ramping up the deployment of advanced technologies and enhanced oil recovery techniques to boost domestic crude production.

As part of its expansion strategy, the company is preparing to monetise its Shale reserves in Rajasthan and has launched the next phase of Alkali-Surfactant-Polymer (ASP) injection, targeting up to 300 million barrels of recoverable oil from mature fields.

"In Rajasthan, Cairn is preparing to monetise its Shale blocks, drawing on U.S. experience and partnering with Parker Wellbore (now part of Nabors Industries) to deploy a high-performance rig equipped with advanced automation and real-time monitoring," the company said.

Cairn is turning to sensors, seismic imaging, and generative AI to crack some of the country's toughest energy challenges, as per the company. It is deploying drone-based surveillance of digital twins and 4D seismic mapping to rejuvenate mature fields and tap unexplored reserves, as per the company.

National Stock Exchange-listed Cairn Oil & Gas accounts for over a quarter of India's domestic crude oil production and aims to increase this contribution to 50 per cent.

The company operates across India, holding interests in 62 blocks and producing from assets in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Assam.

Hitesh Vaid, Chief Financial Officer, Cairn Oil & Gas, Vedanta Ltd, said that the company is actively strengthening its footprint across the country to bolster exploration and production.

"Over the next 3-5 years, we plan to invest approximately USD 3-4 billion. Our focus will be on expanding exploration in our offshore blocks, leveraging deepwater projects on the East Coast and shallow water campaigns on the West Coast," Vaid said.

Additionally, the company will be scaling up operations in its existing fields with growth projects like ASP injection and the development of unconventional techniques like Tight Oil, and Shale in Rajasthan by leveraging advanced & digital technologies to improve efficiency and productivity, he added.

Describing the company's activity on adopting technologies in the exploration, Vaid further added, "By adopting cutting-edge digital solutions - Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Augmented Learning (AL), and drone-based initiatives - through real-time data analytics, automation, and predictive maintenance systems, the company has successfully optimised its operations."

DRISHTI is a one-stop solution for Cairn's data-driven reservoir and production management system, which is used to augment reservoir performance, as per the company.

According to the oil and gas major, implementation of predictive operational alarms has drastically reduced downtime of equipment, leading to a 25 per cent reduction in workflow development time, further accelerating delivery and maximising productivity.

"The implementation of Process Digital Twin technology has reduced gas flaring by 30 per cent and optimised fuel gas usage by 18 per cent, enhancing operational efficiency and sustainability," Vaid said.

India has a total of 26 sedimentary basins, stretching to approximately 3.36 million square kilometres. Of this, 2.4 million square kilometres lie in onshore and shallow water, while 1.32 million square kilometres are in deeper offshore water. Notably, more than 70 per cent of the region is still unexplored.

Vaid said that unlocking the identified offshore hydrocarbon reserve holds the key to achieving India's vision for energy self-reliance.

"We are optimistic about the country's offshore potential and are focused on drilling on the East Coast in the Krishna Godavari basin," he added.

In OALP Round IX, Cairn secured 7 new blocks, 4 onshore and 3 offshore, across Cambay, Saurashtra, and Mumbai basins. These blocks are in proximity to our Cambay operations and will help us strengthen our drilling campaign on the West Coast.

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