BP to Aid ONGC to Boost Output from Mumbai High Field by 60%

India's largest oil explorer, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) announced on Wednesday that global energy major BP will act as a technical service provider to enhance production from the Mumbai High field, the country's largest producing oil and gas field, located off the west coast of India. BP has committed to increasing oil and gas output from the Mumbai High field by up to 60%, ONGC stated in a regulatory filing. The field, discovered in 1974, had peaked at 471,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil in March 1985 but saw a significant decline, with output dropping to approximately 134,000 bpd in April 2024.

The collaboration is part of India's broader strategy to raise domestic oil and gas production to reduce reliance on imports. India, the world's third-largest oil importer, has struggled with stagnant production levels for years.

In June 2024, India's government highlighted ONGC's plans to partner with global oil majors to boost production. In September, BP's board held discussions with India's Oil Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, emphasizing foreign participation in exploration programs.

"We look forward to bringing our long experience of optimizing performance and recovery from major mature fields around the world to help unlock and enhance production from Mumbai High," the company said in a statement.

BP already has a significant presence in India through its partnership with Reliance Industries, operating 1,900 fuel retail stations and producing oil and gas from a deepwater block in the Krishna-Godavari basin. The Reliance-BP collaboration has also teamed up with ONGC to bid for exploration rights for an offshore block in India.

The ONGC-BP partnership marks a key step toward revitalizing the Mumbai High field and aligns with India's goals to accelerate domestic energy production. The technical expertise provided by BP could set a precedent for further collaborations between Indian energy firms and global oil majors.