Cairn Oil & Gas Division, a privately owned Indian oil and gas company under the Vedanta Group, has obtained a “conditional no objection certificate (NOC)” from the Andhra Pradesh government in India to drill 20 onshore oil and gas wells in Krishna district.
The clearance has been granted under the Discovered Small Field (DSF) Policy, 2018 and marks a significant step forward in the company’s exploration plans aligned with the energy development initiatives of the government.
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As per a recent government order, Cairn Oil & Gas informed the state that it had sought an NOC to drill at 35 sites within the block.
The proposed locations fall within the limits of multiple villages, and the block is traversed by the Bandar Canal.
The order directs the engineer-in-chief (Irrigation), Water Resources Department, Vijayawada; the chief engineer, Krishna Delta System, Vijayawada; and the Collector of Krishna District to take the required steps.
It also specifies that the NOC is issued only from the irrigation department’s standpoint and is of a temporary nature.
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By GlobalDataVedanta must still obtain all other statutory approvals from the concerned departments before beginning work, as per applicable rules and procedures.
The no-objection certificate is subject to strict conditions. The state has clarified that Vedanta will not be permitted to draw water from canals, reservoirs, ponds, or any other surface water sources connected to the irrigation network.
The approval is also narrowly defined and does not substitute for other legal permissions the company must secure before beginning drilling.
Environmental, pollution-control, and land-use clearances will still be required, and adherence to these terms will be monitored closely.
In February 2025, Carin Oil & Gas announced an investment of Rs500bn ($5.7bn) in the oil and gas exploration and production sector of Assam, a state in north-eastern India.
