NEW DELHI, Jan 13 Reuters Global energy majors Chevron Corp, Exxon Mobil Corp and TotalEnergies are interested in investing in India39;s oil and gas exploration and production sector, the country39;s oil minister said in a speech on Friday.

India, the world39;s third biggest oil importer and consumer, buys more than 84 of its oil needs from overseas and wants to quickly monetise its hydrocarbon reserves to reduce its dependence on costly imports.

India is ready to explore opportunities for joint development production of oil and gas assets for mutual benefit and also invites investment in our domestic EP exploration and production sector, Hardeep Singh Puri said.

The minister added that India aims to double the area under oil and gas exploration to 500,000 sq km by 2025.

Reporting by Nidhi Verma Editing by David Goodman

Source Reuters