Cairn confirms gas discovery in Ambe DSF block offshore India

(WO) - Cairn Oil & Gas has reported a natural gas discovery at its Ambe offshore block on India’s west coast, following results from the Ambe-2A appraisal well drilled in shallow water. 

The discovery was encountered in reservoirs below the main gas-bearing interval within the Miocene Tarkeshwar formation. Cairn said it has notified India’s upstream regulator and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and is conducting further evaluation to assess development potential.

Ambe is classified as a Discovered Small Field (DSF) and represents Cairn’s second DSF asset to move toward monetization, following its Hazarigaon project in northeast India. The company plans to drill two additional wells as part of the current shallow-water drilling and appraisal campaign, with a total of three wells planned for the block.

Cairn holds a 100% participating interest in the Ambe block, which covers approximately 728 sq km and was awarded under India’s DSF-III licensing round in 2022. The company said the project could contribute incremental domestic gas supply and support faster development timelines typical of DSF assets.

The Ambe program is part of Cairn’s broader offshore strategy across India’s east and west coasts, aimed at accelerating production from smaller, near-infrastructure discoveries. The company recently completed installation of a subsea template to support cluster drilling and future development activities in shallow water.