‘Treasure’ found from the scorching desert of Rajasthan! India’s big success amid global crisis, record increase in crude production

Amidst the increasing geopolitical tension across the world and uncertainty about crude oil, news of great relief has come to the fore for India. Government oil company Oil India Limited has surprised the world by extracting record quantity of crude oil from the depths of the Thar Desert. The company has set a new record by achieving production of 1202 barrels of crude oil per day from Jodhpur Sandstone Formation.

This achievement is also special for Oil India because last year only 705 barrels of oil were being produced here per day. That means the company has increased its production by a huge 70 percent within a year. Talking about the figures, a total of 43,773 metric tons of crude oil was extracted from Rajasthan fields in the financial year 2025-26, whereas last year this figure was 32,787 metric tons. This increase will prove to be a major milestone in strengthening India’s energy security.

Technology made the impossible possible

Extracting oil from the Thar Desert was not an easy task. The crude oil here is very thick, which cannot be taken out in the normal way. To overcome this challenge, Oil India used modern Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS) technology. In this technique, hot steam is released inside the wells, due to which the thick oil melts and becomes thin and becomes easier to pump. The company has so far successfully used this technology in 19 wells. Apart from this, the flow of oil has been intensified by using modern technologies like fishbone drilling for the first time in India.

Journey from Jaisalmer to Gujarat

The journey of this crude oil coming out in Baghewala area of ​​Jaisalmer is quite interesting. After extracting oil from the desert, it is transported through tankers to ONGC facilities in Mehsana, Gujarat. From there it is sent through pipeline to the Koyali Refinery of Indian Oil (IOCL) in Vadodara, where it is converted into products like petrol and diesel.

Steps towards self-reliant India

At present, India imports about 85% of its crude oil requirement from abroad. Due to tension in the Middle East, oil prices in the international market have crossed $100, which increases pressure on India’s economy. In such a situation, increasing production from small but important oil fields like Baghewala in Rajasthan will help in reducing dependence on imports.