Amid rising global oil prices, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to people to save fuel. He has advised to adopt work from home, hold virtual meetings and use petrol and diesel sparingly. However, experts believe that these steps can only provide short-term relief. The world is facing an unprecedented fuel crisis due to the ongoing war in the Middle East. Due to America and Israel’s campaign against Iran and double pressure on the Strait of Hormuz, the supply of petrol, diesel and LPG has been affected. India has handled price shocks to a great extent so far, but the situation remains a matter of concern.

India’s dependence on imported oil has been a challenge for a long time. For this reason, the country has been working on big energy pipeline projects for decades. Plans such as the Oman-India Deepwater Pipeline, India-Sri Lanka Oil Pipeline and TAPI Gas Pipeline were mooted in the 1990s and 2000s, but have not yet taken off due to geopolitical tensions, huge costs and security challenges. The proposed deep-water gas pipeline project between India and Oman is once again in the news. This nearly four decade old project is now being linked to India’s energy security. If this plan comes to fruition, gas will reach India directly from the depths of the Arabian Sea and the entire equation of the country’s foreign energy dependence can change.

Defense expert and senior journalist Sandeep Unnithan wrote on X on Monday that the 1,600 km long Oman-India Deepwater Pipeline Project (OIDMPP) has been under discussion since the 1990s. This pipeline is to be laid 3,500 meters below sea level from Ras Al Jifan to Porbandar. “Now is the time to move this project forward rapidly,” he said. This is the same project which was once considered technically impossible. But now new technology, changing global politics and India’s increasing energy needs have revived it.

Talks on the 1,600 km Oman India deep-water pipeline project (OIDMPP) have been on since the 1990s.
Ras Al Jifan to Porbandar. Laid on the seabed 3500 m below.
Time to ‘step on the gas’ with this project. pic.twitter.com/dO5aL1kXIE

— Sandeep (@SandeepUnnithan) May 11, 2026

What is Oman-India Deepwater Pipeline Project?
The official name of this project is Middle East to India Deepwater Pipeline i.e. MEIDP. The plan is to bring natural gas directly to Gujarat by laying an undersea pipeline from Oman or UAE. The proposed pipeline will pass under the Arabian Sea and its length may be around 1200 to 1600 kilometers. This pipeline is estimated to be laid about 3400 to 3450 meters below the sea. Very few pipeline projects in the world have been done at such a depth. This is the reason why it is being counted among the world’s deepest transnational undersea gas pipeline projects.

Why is this project important for India?
India is a rapidly growing economy and its energy needs are going to increase further in the coming years. The government aims to increase the share of natural gas in the country’s energy mix to 15 percent by 2030. But at present India fulfills a major part of its requirement by importing LNG i.e. Liquefied Natural Gas. LNG is brought by ships and then there is a process of converting it back into gas. This increases the cost. MEIDP is being considered as the solution to this problem. Gas will directly reach India through pipeline, due to which the price will be lower and the supply will be more stable. It is claimed that the gas coming from this pipeline will be cheaper by 2 to 2.5 dollars per MMBtu compared to the existing LNG. It is estimated that this can save India about Rs 7000 crore every year.

Will completely bypass Pakistan-Afghanistan
The biggest strategic advantage of this project is its routing. Earlier, pipeline projects like TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) and Iran-Pakistan-India were proposed for India. But the biggest problems of these projects were security and geopolitical tensions. Land-based pipeline projects continued to get stuck due to instability in Afghanistan and tensions with Pakistan. MEIDP will come by sea. That means there will be no dependence on any third country. The pipeline will reach India directly from the Middle East and the risk of supply disruption will be significantly reduced. This is why experts are also calling it India’s “geopolitical energy shield”.

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How did this project start?
The story of this project is not new. It started in the 1980s. For the first time in 1985, the idea of ​​bringing a gas pipeline from Oman to India came up. After this, the project received diplomatic support during the visit of the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao to Oman in 1993. At that time India was rapidly moving towards economic liberalization and energy security was becoming a big issue. However, after the initial enthusiasm, this project gradually got shelved.

Why did the dream stop?
The main reason was lack of technology. At that time, such technology was not available that could lay pipelines at a depth of 3500 meters. There is so much pressure under the sea that normal steel pipes can break. At that time, there were neither strong enough pipes nor ships that could lay or repair the pipeline at such a depth. That means the idea was there, but the technology was not supporting.

LNG tankers have to pass through sensitive sea routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, whereas undersea pipelines could provide a more stable and reliable gas supply. The technical feasibility report of this project has been completed years ago, but construction has not started yet. With its launch, India can get relief from diversification in gas imports and global price shocks.

Things started changing after 2010. Rapid progress was made in deep-sea engineering. Modern pipe laying vessels and high-pressure steel pipes became available. During this time the project was taken forward again. A large-scale marine survey was conducted in 2013. About 1780 kilometers of sea route was examined so that a safe route could be determined. Many challenging areas emerged in the survey. Among these, Owen Fracture Zone was considered to be the most dangerous, where the Indian and Arabian tectonic plates meet. This area is seismically active. Apart from this, huge marine sediment areas like Indus Fan and deep marine canyons also became a big challenge for the engineers. However, experts say that now it is possible to solve these challenges with the help of modern technology.

What is the status of the project now?
Significant progress has been made on this project in 2023 and 2024. Preliminary Engineering and Cost Estimate Study has been completed and it is considered technically feasible. At present the estimated cost of the project is said to be between 6 to 7 billion dollars. In some reports, dual pipeline system has also been considered so that the supply can be made more reliable. Along with this, UAE-India pipeline option is also being discussed. Following ADNOC’s interest, the option of pipeline from Fujairah to Gujarat is also being looked at. Recent economic cooperation agreements between India and Oman have also given new impetus to this project.

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