ONGC signs agreement with ExxonMobil for deepwater exploration in India

BENGALURU (Reuters) - Indian oil explorer and producer Oil and Natural Gas Corp said on Wednesday it signed a Heads of Agreement (HoA) with global petroleum giant ExxonMobil Corp for deepwater exploration in the country's East and West coasts.

The two oil explorers would focus on the Krishna Godavari and Cauvery basins in the eastern offshore and the Kutch-Mumbai region in the western offshore, ONGC said in a release.

India, the world's third biggest oil importer and consumer, ships in over 85% of its oil needs from overseas. The country wants to quickly monetise its oil and gas resources to reduce its reliance on costly imports.

ONGC's head of exploration Rajesh Kumar Srivastava said his company is looking for a "long-lasting partnership with Exxon".

"Through the discovery route, ONGC hopes to move to development wherein the inherent strength of ExxonMobil would be beneficial for efficient fast-track monetization," he said.

Exxon has been looking to buy a stake in local deep water fields of ONGC for some time.

India's crude oil production fell 1.6% to about 600,000 barrels per day (2.44 million tonnes) in June, dipping over 4% versus the previous month. [O/INDIA1]

(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)