State-owned Oil And Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has floated a tender seeking a technical service provider (TSP) for its western offshore oilfields, excluding the Mumbai High field, where UK-based bp plc has already been appointed, the company’s director (production) Pankaj Kumar said on Tuesday.
Speaking on the sidelines of India Energy Week 2026, Kumar said: “We are now in the market for another TSP covering the Western Offshore, excluding Mumbai High field. The tender has been floated, and we have personally communicated with the CEOs of 10 major E&P operators, including Shell, bp, Chevron, Exxon, TotalEnergies among others.”
The tender is part of ONGC’s efforts to arrest production decline at its ageing offshore assets, following what the company has described as stabilisation at Mumbai High after bp’s induction as technical partner in April last year.
Strict Eligibility Criteria
ONGC has restricted eligibility to exploration and production operators, ruling out oilfield service contractors. The bid submission deadline is March 16, and the company is targeting completion of the selection process by June, subject to technical reviews and discussions, Kumar said.
Mumbai High, discovered in 1974 and brought on stream in 1976, is India’s largest offshore oilfield and has faced natural decline after decades of production. BP was appointed as technical service provider for the field to help stabilise output using advanced reservoir management and recovery techniques.
“Since bp mobilised in April, the production decline has been stabilised,” Kumar said. “We have added around 3,500–4,000 barrels per day of oil and 2–2.5 million standard cubic metres per day of gas over the minimum baseline. Current production is already above the agreed baseline profile.”
ONGC operates several offshore producing assets in the Arabian Sea, including Bassein, Heera, Neelam, Panna–Mukta and Tapti, along with multiple satellite fields. Onshore, the company produces from mature fields in Gujarat’s Cambay Basin, including Ankleshwar, Mehsana and Nawagam.
Annual Production Targets
The company has set a crude oil production target of around 22 million tonnes for the current financial year, Kumar said, adding that output next year is expected to be marginally higher.
“As of now, we expect production to be slightly higher than last year. The fields remain largely the same, there are no major new additions, and the challenges also remain similar,” he said.
On exploration in the Andaman offshore region, Kumar said the area remains a focus for ONGC and the government, though commercial development is yet to be established.
“Basinal presence and hydrocarbon indications have been established, but deepwater challenges remain,” he said. “Further seismic analysis and drilling decisions will depend on ongoing evaluations, and no timelines or production volumes can be committed at this stage.”
India is seeking to raise domestic oil and gas output to moderate import dependence as energy demand continues to rise.