Oil India Limited has signed a collaboration framework with Canada's Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC) to advance research in CO2 Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS), geothermal energy, and clean energy technologies. The agreement was signed on June 10, 2026, on the sidelines of the Global Energy Show 2026 in Calgary, strengthening bilateral energy cooperation between India and Canada.

Partnership Overview

The agreement brings together Oil India Limited, a Maharatna CPSE under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, and the Petroleum Technology Research Centre, a not-for-profit energy research company of the Province of Saskatchewan. The collaboration aims to address global challenges related to energy transition and sustainability.

Key Areas of Collaboration

The partnership encompasses several strategic domains focused on sustainable energy development and operational efficiency:

• CCUS: Utilization of captured CO2 through geological sequestration and mineralization in geological formations.
• Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR): Development of innovative EOR methods to reduce environmental impacts and energy consumption in oil and gas production.
• Geothermal Energy: Identification of potential geothermal projects for mutual study and participation.
• Subsurface Research: Collaborative research at PTRC's Energy Innovation Hub lab on subsurface energy production and storage.
• Start-up Ecosystem: Joint research interests with mc2+, a platform created under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India.

The initiative will leverage established networks of both organisations to identify business opportunities in Canada and India. The event was attended by the Premier of Saskatchewan, the High Commissioner of India to Canada, the CEO of PTRC, and the CMD of Oil India Limited.

Oil India , ONGC, Hindustan Oil Exploration, and Vedanta have jointly approached the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) with a request to remove existing restrictions on gas pipeline integration. The companies are seeking to establish connectivity between common carrier and regional pipelines, a step that industry stakeholders believe could have significant implications for domestic gas availability and energy security.

Push for Pipeline Integration

The four energy companies have collectively petitioned PNGRB to ease regulatory barriers that currently limit the integration of gas pipeline networks. The proposal specifically targets the linkage of common carrier pipelines with regional pipeline infrastructure, which the companies argue remains underutilised due to existing regulatory constraints.

The key highlights of the joint request are summarised below:

Potential Impact on Domestic Gas Supply

According to the report, successfully integrating these pipeline networks could release up to 10% of gas production, representing a meaningful addition to the domestic gas supply pool. This potential increase in available gas volumes is seen as a direct mechanism to reduce India's reliance on imported natural gas, which has been a persistent concern for energy planners and policymakers.

The initiative underscores the broader industry push to optimise existing infrastructure rather than solely relying on new capacity additions. By enabling seamless flow across common carrier and regional networks, the companies contend that stranded or constrained gas volumes could be brought into active supply chains more efficiently.

Industry Significance

The joint approach by four prominent energy producers—spanning both public sector undertakings and private players—signals a unified industry stance on the need for regulatory reform in the gas pipeline sector. The outcome of this petition to PNGRB could have wider implications for how domestic gas infrastructure is managed and utilised going forward.