Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Assam is known for its rich mineral resources. The latest report of the Government of India has affirmed it yet again when it said Assam still has crude oil reserves that are second to only Western Offshore. The report has also confirmed that the natural gas reserve in the state is 14.37 percent of the total volume of natural gas in India.
The Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has published a report titled 'Energy Statistics India-2024'. This report has spelled out the crude oil and natural gas reserves available in Assam.
The estimated reserves of crude oil in India as of April 1, 2023, stood at 653.02 million metric tonnes against 591.92 million metric tonnes in the previous year, an increase of over 10 percent over last year. The geographical distribution of crude oil indicates that the maximum reserves are in the Western Offshore, with 33 percent of the total volume in the country. And Assam follows next with 23 percent of the total volume available in the country, the report said.
On natural gas reserves, the report said that as of April 1, 2023, the country has an estimated reserve of 1149.46 billion cubic metres. The maximum reserves of natural gas in the Western Offshore are 29.3 percent of the total reserves, followed by the Eastern Offshore with 23.4 percent and Assam with 14.37 percent.
Crude oil was first discovered in India at Digboi in the Tinsukia district of Assam, where oil production started in 1889.
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