Oil India Limited has announced a fresh natural gas discovery in its nominated Dandewala Field in Rajasthan, marking a significant milestone in the company’s exploration efforts in the region. The discovery establishes gas presence in the shallower Sanu Formation of the field for the first time and is expected to strengthen the future hydrocarbon potential of the block.
According to the company, the exploratory well recorded an average inflow of nearly 25,000 standard cubic meters per day (SCMD) of natural gas from a depth of around 950 meters. The discovery indicates encouraging deliverability and validates Oil India’s strategy of revisiting mature fields through targeted technical interventions and a focused “missed opportunities” exploration approach.
Preliminary assessments based on structural mapping, petrophysical evaluation and subsurface analysis estimate Gas In Place potential of nearly 75 million standard cubic meters (MMSCM). The company stated that the findings significantly improve the overall prospectivity of the Dandewala field and could support future appraisal and development programmes aimed at scaling up resource potential and production output.
The latest discovery is considered important because it opens up a new exploration play within the field. By establishing hydrocarbon presence in the shallow Sanu Formation, the company has identified an additional reservoir opportunity that could support expanded drilling and development activity in the coming years.
Oil India has been actively pursuing exploration and production enhancement initiatives across multiple basins to strengthen domestic hydrocarbon output and contribute to India’s long-term energy security objectives. The company continues to focus on leveraging advanced subsurface analysis, reservoir characterization and improved drilling technologies to unlock additional reserves from existing assets.
Industry experts believe that discoveries in mature producing regions can play a key role in improving production economics by utilizing existing infrastructure and reducing development timelines. The Dandewala finding is expected to support further technical studies and appraisal drilling to better understand the full commercial potential of the newly identified gas-bearing formation.
The Rajasthan basin remains strategically important for India’s upstream oil and gas sector, with several operators continuing exploration activities aimed at expanding the region’s hydrocarbon resource base. The successful identification of gas in a previously underexplored formation highlights the importance of continuous geological reassessment and data-driven exploration strategies.
Oil India stated that future development efforts in the field will focus on evaluating reservoir continuity, production optimization and commercial viability to maximize long-term output potential. The company remains committed to strengthening India’s domestic energy production capabilities through sustained investment in exploration, innovation and field development activities.
