THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 24, 2026

Vedanta Ltd has secured two offshore oil and gas blocks under the government's fourth Discovered Small Field (DSF) bidding round, strengthening its exploration footprint in the Krishna Godavari basin off India's east coast as the country steps up efforts to boost domestic hydrocarbon production and curb import dependence.

The blocks comprise a shallow-water asset, KG/OSDSF/G1/2025, and a deepwater block, KG/DWDSF/GD10/2025, the company said in a statement on Saturday.

The awards were formalised at a contract-signing ceremony in New Delhi attended by Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, it added.

The development comes amid the government's push to unlock India's offshore energy potential, with the Samudra Manthan National Deepwater Exploration Mission seeking to accelerate exploration, develop discovered resources and attract investment into deepwater and frontier basins.

Vedanta said it has already initiated deepwater exploration activities in the Krishna Godavari basin, including three-dimensional controlled-source electromagnetic (3D CSEM) surveys to evaluate subsurface prospects and reduce exploration risks ahead of drilling.

Jim Johnny Gast, Interim CEO and Whole Time Director of Vedanta Oil and Gas Ltd, said the company remained committed to ramping up production to meet India's growing energy requirements.

"Offshore basins hold significant resource potential and will play a key role in reducing import dependency for oil & gas. The new blocks will augment our portfolio in the East Coast, and we look forward to leveraging our technical expertise, operational capabilities and partnerships to responsibly explore and develop these assets as part of our future growth roadmap," Gast said.

Vedanta Oil and Gas, which operates under the Cairn brand, holds interests in 43 blocks spanning more than 44,000 square kilometres of acreage across India, according to the company.

The company reported gross proved and probable (2P) reserves and resources, along with contingent (2C) resources, of 1.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Its producing assets are located across Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Assam.

The acquisition of the two offshore blocks adds to Vedanta's exploration pipeline at a time when India is seeking to harness domestic oil and gas resources to meet rising energy demand, strengthen energy security and reduce its reliance on overseas supplies.