Oil and Gas in India
Bombay High and Offshore Oil
How the discovery of Bombay High in 1974 became India's largest oil field, its role in the 1970s-80s, and its gradual decline.
In 1974, ONGC discovered Bombay High, about 160 km off the Mumbai coast.
Importance
- It became India’s largest oil field.
- At its peak in the 1980s, it supplied a large share of India’s crude.
Timing
The discovery came just after the 1973 oil shock, helping India reduce import costs.
Technology
The Soviet-built Sagar Samrat drilling rig made the discovery.
Decline
- Output declined from the 1990s as the field aged.
- Enhanced recovery techniques extended its life.
Offshore today
Offshore fields in western India and the Krishna-Godavari basin in the east supply much of India’s oil and gas.
Lesson
Big discoveries help, but fields decline over time, requiring continuous exploration.
Platforms far off the Mumbai coast pump oil and gas through undersea pipelines to processing plants on shore.
Bombay High's output declined as it aged.
- Bombay High was discovered in 1974.
- It became India's largest oil field.
- It helped after the 1973 oil shock.
- Output declined from the 1990s.
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