BP plc and Reliance Industries Ltd. have ramped up production from the first of a trio of ultra-deepwater natural gas fields offshore India that could meet the country’s rapidly expanding energy needs and reduce the need for imports.

The R Cluster project in Block KG D6 is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) off the east coast of India. Satellites Cluster is set to come onstream in 2021, followed by the MJ project in 2022.

Peak gas production from the three fields is forecast to be around 1 Bcf/d, or 30 million standard cubic meters/d (MMcm/d) by 2023.

The three fields together could meet 15% of India’s gas demand by 2023 and account for 25% of total domestic production, sharply reducing the need for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. 

“This start-up is another example of...