On Thursday, the Mizoram government convened a review meeting to assess oil and hydrocarbon exploration in the state. The session, organized by the Commerce, Industries, Geology & Mining Department, was chaired by Dr. H. Lianzela, Secretary of the department, and focused on current activities and future plans to expand the search for oil and gas reserves.
Attendees included Sohban Pathak, Additional Director General (Exploration) of the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, and senior officials from ONGC, Oil India Limited, and Indraprastha Gas Grid Limited. Dr. Lianzela noted that earlier exploration efforts had not yielded the expected results, but recent collaboration between the central government, oil companies, and the state had opened new possibilities for resource development.
During technical sessions, Lalremmawia, Joint Director of the Directorate of Geology & Mining, presented field inspection findings and an update on hydrocarbon activities. ONGC and OIL representatives outlined plans to identify prospective areas for upcoming Open Acreage Licensing Policy rounds, while IGGL experts discussed gas infrastructure and opportunities to commercialise gas resources. Since 2011, ONGC has drilled wells at Meidum and Zanlawn, and OIL has explored Aibawk, Keifang and Thenzawl.
The meeting also addressed preparations for further drilling near Hortoki village in Kolasib district, noting that the Chhimluangte Bridge has been retrofitted to accommodate heavy drilling equipment. Officials discussed regularising and extending ONGC Block No. AA-ONN-2001/2 to facilitate a new exploratory well about 2 km from the original 2011 gas discovery site. Plans to expand exploration to southern Mizoram—including Rabung, Tlabung and Palzawng‑Thiltlang—were presented, along with the proposed Panisagar‑Sihhmui Gas Pipeline aimed at strengthening gas infrastructure and monetisation prospects.
