“It is well known that oil and gas will continue to provide the major portion of our energy requirement. Hence, appropriate utilisation of advanced oil and gas exploration and production technology, modern refining technology and efficient distribution of petroleum products in the country will be of great importance in the coming years,” he said.

Laying the foundation stone of the country’s second Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT) on Saturday, Singh said the Central Government has undertaken studies for assessing shale gas potential in the country, including in the North East region where hydro carbon discoveries have been made in four wells.

“Many areas in the region are being assessed for shale (an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock) gas resource mapping and it is in this background that the establishment of this institute in Assam will be beneficial,” he said.

The NE region of India is greatly endowed with hydrocarbon and during the last fiscal year contributed around 15 per cent of the country’s crude oil and produced 3.38 billion cubic metres of natural gas.