RoydadNaft –   State-run Oil India has partnered with France’s TotalEnergies for technological support in its exploration activities in challenging deepwater areas. The two companies signed a technology service agreement on Wednesday.

“The agreement puts in place a framework to leverage TotalEnergies’ world-class expertise in deep and ultradeep water exploration value chain across Oil India Ltd’s current and future offshore portfolio,” Oil India said in a statement.

The partnership covers the ongoing appraisal programme of gas find in shallow offshore blocks in the Andaman basin, as well as exploration in Oil India’s ultradeep-water blocks in the Mahanadi and Krishna Godavari basins, awarded in the ninth round of the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP). The agreement also includes the evaluation of opportunities under the ongoing OALP-X and future bid rounds, and support for the company’s stratigraphic well drilling initiative.

Oil India and ONGC have been seeking foreign technological partners to navigate increasingly challenging exploration terrains.

India urgently needs major discoveries to lift domestic output, which has been declining for years and deepening the country’s dependence on imports.