Guwahati: Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, in a post on X on Sunday, highlighted Assam's pioneering role in India's oil exploration history and its ongoing contribution to the nation’s energy security.
Puri wrote on X that Assam is where India’s oil story began, with the discovery of oil seepages along the Dihing River. “The locals noticed oil-stained feet on logging elephants,” and this led to the drilling of the country's first hand-dug oil well in Upper Assam in 1859 by Goodenough of McKillop, Stewart & Company. Puri highlighted that this was just seven years after the world’s first oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania. Although the initial well wasn’t successful, the region's potential was soon realized with the successful drilling of Asia’s first mechanically dug oil well at Makum in Assam in 1867.
“The Digboi field, drilled in 1889 and completed in 1890 at 662 feet by Assam Railways and Trading Company Limited, marked India's first commercial oil success with a production of 200 gallons per day,” further added Puri.
The Union Minister highlighted how we have come a long way since then, and “Today, India produces around 29.4 MMT of crude oil and over 36 BCM of natural gas, with projections to reach 45.3 BCM by 2026, as we move towards energy self-sufficiency under the leadership of PM @narendramodi.”
The Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 for Northeast India, launched by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas in February 2016, has been a transformative initiative for the region. With an envisaged investment of ₹1.3 lakh crore across upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors, the Vision aims to position the Northeast as a dominant hydrocarbon hub. The plan includes doubling oil and gas production by 2030, providing affordable clean fuel to all households in the region, and generating significant employment through skill development.
In a December 2023 Parliament session, Minister Puri highlighted Assam's vital role in India’s energy sector, noting that from 2019-2023, the state received ₹9291 crore in royalties from crude oil and ₹851 crore from gas production. Additionally, the Union government has committed ₹61,000 crore in capital expenditure to further enhance oil and gas production in the coming years. /BI
