India's moment finally? Natural gas presence confirmed in Andaman

NEW DELHI: The presence of natural gas in the Andaman Sea holds great promise for the country's energy security. If harnessed, it can be used as fuel in industries and vehicles, and as cooking gas in Indian homes. Currently, LNG is being imported in large quantities from abroad.

It was Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri who made this gigantic announcement on Saturday through his social media page. The Union Minister said that the size and commercial viability of the natural gas deposit are being examined. The natural gas was discovered in Vijayapuram 2, a deep-sea exploration well located 9.20 nautical miles (17 km) off the east coast of the Andaman Islands. When samples were tested in the range of 2212 to 2250 meters in the well, the presence of flammable natural gas was detected. When the samples were brought to Kakinada by ship and tested in the laboratory, 87% methane presence was confirmed. He added that this is an important step in the assessment that the Andaman coast is rich in natural gas.

• Large-scale natural gas investments in the Andaman coast will possibly bring brighter days for the country's economy and diplomacy. It will be a step towards energy independence.

• Production costs of industries will fall. Commodity prices will decrease. Employment opportunities will increase in sectors such as the pipeline and manufacturing.

• The cost of operating natural gas power projects will also be low

• Natural gas can be transported as far as desired through pipelines. No huge extraction costs

• Less carbon emissions

• No significant environmental pollution

Natural gas is composed of 70 to 90% methane. It also contains alkanes in varying amounts, and smaller amounts of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and helium.