The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is set to invest approximately Rs81.1bn ($914m) in the development and production of oil and gas from 172 onshore wells across eight petroleum mining lease blocks in Andhra Pradesh, India.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's expert committee granted environmental clearance to ONGC's expansive project in a meeting last month.

In line with the committee's recommendations, ONGC has been mandated to adhere strictly to all the environmental protection measures and safeguards outlined in the documentation provided to the ministry, reported the Economic Times.

This includes implementing all the suggestions made in the environmental impact assessment and environmental management plan (EMP) concerning environmental management and risk mitigation related to the project.

The committee further stipulated that no wells will be established within a 10km radius of the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary's eco-sensitive zone, in accordance with the no objection certificate issued in May.

"The estimated project cost is Rs81.1bn. Capital cost of EMP (Environment Management Plan) would be Rs1.72bn and recurring cost for EMP would be Rs911m per annum. Industry proposes to allocate Rs110m for commitments made in Public Hearing," the expert appraisal committee said in the minutes of the meeting.

Additionally, it was made clear that no pipelines or their segments should be installed in forest lands or protected areas without prior permission or approval from the relevant authorities.

ONGC and Oil India are reportedly planning to launch a stratigraphic drilling campaign worth Rs320bn in early 2026, mainly in unexplored offshore regions.

ONGC began drilling an ultra-deep-water well, ANE-E, in the Andaman offshore block in March this year, but did not indicate the results of the drilling.

However, Oil India reported the occurrence of natural gas in the Andaman offshore block last month.