The 15th Biennial International Conference and Exposition of the Society of Petroleum Geophysicists (SPG-India) 2025, themed “Rock to Cloud: Geo-Exploration Empowering Energy Evolution,” was inaugurated today at the Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre (JECC). The conference was inaugurated by Secretary, Govt. of India, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG), Pankaj Jain, IAS, in the presence of Chairman & CEO, ONGC and Chief Patron, SPG-India, Arun Kumar Singh, CMD, Oil India Ltd., Dr. Ranjit Rath, Director (Exploration), ONGC, and Patron, SPG – India, O.P. Sinha, and President, SPG-India, Ranbir Singh.
Delivering the keynote, Mr. Pankaj Jain urged the community to combine scientific rigor with commercial vision, noting that India can no longer afford incremental progress. “One day, not too far off, we will be looking at a situation where there will be alternative forms of energy, which will increasingly matter more to us in terms of the incremental demand satisfaction, than fossil fuels, or the way we use fossil fuels itself is going to change. And therefore, it doesn’t matter what the peak will be, when the peak will be; the fact is that we have to try to get those big discoveries. We do not have the luxury we used to have a hundred years ago or 150 years ago,” said Mr. Pankaj Jain. He called for bold, time-bound exploration strategies aligned with the National Deepwater Mission, emphasizing urgency, innovation, and national responsibility in realizing India’s energy self-reliance.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Arun Kumar Singh reaffirmed ONGC’s commitment to advancing India’s deepwater exploration mission, stressing that technological breakthroughs in seismic imaging, AI-driven interpretation, and data analytics will define the next leap in discovery success.
In his address, Dr. Ranjit Rath underscored that India has emerged as one of the most promising destinations for exploration, supported by progressive reforms such as the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP), Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP), and the Offshore Bidding Rounds. He called upon India’s geo-scientific community to remain “restless in pursuit of exploration” and deepen efforts in frontier basins, particularly in ultra-deepwater domains.
In his welcome address, Mr. O.P. Sinha highlighted the significance of the “Rock to Cloud” theme as emblematic of India’s shift toward data-driven, technology-intensive exploration. He emphasized the need for collaboration between academia, industry, and government to accelerate discoveries and leverage India’s vast sedimentary basins.
The inaugural session also featured the presentation of the B.S. Negi Convention Gold Medal and Citation to well-known geoscientist and ex-ONGCian, Mr. G C Katiyar. SPG 2025 Conference Souvenir and the special issue of GEOHORIZONS journal were also released on the occasion.
The SPG 2025 Exposition, showcasing cutting-edge technologies and solutions from global leaders in geoscience and energy exploration, was inaugurated by Chairman & CEO, ONGC and Chief Patron, SPG-India, Arun Kumar Singh, in the presence of CMD, Oil India Ltd., Dr. Ranjit Rath.
The three-day event brings together leading geoscientists, policymakers, researchers, and energy experts from across the world to deliberate on the evolving frontiers of oil and gas exploration, technological innovation, and sustainable energy solutions.