India’s state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has initiated its first Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) pilot project at the Gandhar oilfield in Gujarat, marking a milestone in the company’s decarbonization strategy.
The pilot will involve injecting captured carbon dioxide into two depleted onshore wells at the Gandhar field, with officials indicating that around 100 tonnes of CO2 per day will be stored in subsurface hydrocarbon reservoirs.
The project represents ONGC’s first full-scale attempt to permanently store carbon dioxide underground.
CO2 used in the pilot will be captured from nearby industrial facilities in the Dahej industrial region, as well as from ONGC’s own Hazira processing plant.
Once captured, the gas will be transported to the Gandhar oilfield for injection, preventing it from being released into the atmosphere.
In addition to testing geological storage, the pilot will assess the feasibility of using CO2 for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).
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By injecting carbon dioxide into depleted reservoirs, ONGC aims to evaluate whether the gas can help mobilise remaining hydrocarbons, potentially increasing production while reducing net emissions.
Officials said the project will generate valuable data on storage integrity, injection performance, and reservoir behavior, supporting future CCS deployment across ONGC’s asset base.
The Gandhar pilot aligns with India’s broader efforts to reduce industrial emissions and develop domestic carbon management solutions, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors such as oil and gas, cement, and steel.
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