India – Andaman Islands – drilling update
In late September, Oil India (OIL) announced the presence of gas recovered during intermittent flow on testing at its Vijaya Puram-2 well in the offshore eastern Andaman block AN-OSHP-2018/1, with…
Asia
Exploring young petroleum systems comes with risks
Any exploration well carries risk, and ultimately, it is the drill bit that will either prove or disprove a play concept. In South Korea’s Ulleung Basin, despite the presence of…
Kasawari – gas production has commenced, but when does the CO2 storage project?
At industry events in South-East Asia, the Kasawari CO2 storage project has been a talking point for years. It should be the first large-scale CO2 storage project in the region,…
Syria – opening up again
In May 2025, the US Treasury eased most sanctions on Syria, followed by the easing of restrictions by the UK and EU. While significant hurdles still remain, oil and gas…
Investing in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
Condor Energies (“Condor”) is a Canadian, Calgary-based, publicly listed (Toronto Stock Exchange) energy transition company focused on Central Asia. The company has distinguished itself by building significant operations in KazakhstanKazakhstan…
Drilling around mud diapirs
Mud diapirs have long been enigmatic structures in the subsurface. With older seismic data being of insufficient resolution to properly map them, companies often took a careful approach when it…
India to auction first offshore mineral blocks
India’s Ministry of Mines has announced that the country is entering offshore mineral production for the first time in its nearly 75-year history. This initiative aligns with India’s vision of…
Iran – not at a standstill
Iran is one of those countries you normally don’t hear a lot from. This is obviously exacerbated by the USA sanctions that are still in place and prevent the exchange…
Direct entry opportunities for every strategy across the Middle East and South Asia
In recent years there has been a very low uptake by IOCs for opportunities offered in countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Oman, while in Iraq, foreign entries via…
Iran to finally start producing helium
Redrawn after IHS Energy and Google Earth. Iran is set to join the exclusive group of helium-producing countries. With the launch of its pilot project to extract and purify helium…
Indonesia bid round push continues
In Asia Pacific, Malaysia has been arguably the most successful country in promoting its exploration and development opportunities over the past few years, with the vast majority of its acreage…
Large hydrogen seep found in the Philippines
The natural gas seeps at Mount Chimaera in Turkey have been known since antiquity. They are easily recognisable due to the constant burning of methane and hydrogen gas that seeps…