OREANDA-NEWS. ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) completed the acquisition of 10% participating interest (“PI”) in the Rovuma Area 1 offshore Block from Anadarko Mocambique Area 1 Limitada (“Anadarko”). On the 24th August 2013, OVL signed definitive agreements with Anadarko to acquire this interest.

Acquisition of an additional 10% Interest in Area 1 follows our earlier announcement of a completion of a joint acquisition, with Oil India Limited (“OIL”), of an indirect 10% interest in Area 1, from Videocon Mauritius Energy Limited. BPRL Ventures Mozambique B.V. (“BPRL”), another Indian PSU already holds a 10% interest in Area 1.

Area 1 covers approximately 2.6 million acres in the deep-water Rovuma Basin, offshore Mozambique and represents the largest natural gas discoveries in offshore East Africa with estimated recoverable resources of 45 to 70 trillion cubic feet. The partners in Area 1 include Anadarko (operator of the project), ENH (the National Oil Company of Mozambique), Mitsui, BPRL, BREML and PTTEP.

The acquisition marks OVL’s entry into this emerging world-class offshore natural gas basin with significant future upside potential. Area 1 has the potential to become one of the world’s largest LNG producing hubs and is strategically located to supply LNG to the growing Indian gas market.

OVL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), the national oil company of India, and is India’s largest international oil and gas E&P company. OVL participates in 35 projects in 18 countries including Azerbaijan, Brazil, Colombia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Libya, Myanmar, Russia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Vietnam. OVL is currently producing about 160 thousand barrels of oil and oil equivalent of gas per day and has total oil and gas reserves of about 433 mmtoe as of 31 March 2013.