Oil and gas exploration company Hardy Oil and Gas plc today said it has commenced drilling of an exploration well in India.

The London-listed company, with assets in India and Nigeria, said in a regulatory filing that drilling has commenced at the exploration well GS01-M1 and an appraisal programme has been adopted for the GS01-B1 discovery (Dhirubhai-33) in the GS-OSN-2000/1 (GS-01) exploration licence.

Hardy, through its 100 per cent subsidiary Hardy Exploration & Production (India) Inc, holds 10 per cent participating interest in the GS-01 exploration licence. Reliance Industries is the operator and holds a 90 per cent participating interest in the block.

The GS01-M1 well is the fourth exploration well on the GS-01 block and is located within an area covered by 3D seismic data that was acquired in the first quarter of 2008, the company said.

Commenting on the drilling update Sastry Karra, Chief Executive of Hardy said: "The appraisal programme on GS-01 is designed to further define the resource and reserve potential on the block, and to determine the commercial feasibility of the Dhirubhai 33 discovery."