India's Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) has confirmed that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Western Australia's Department of Industry & Resources (DoIR) regarding the future development of their respective oil and gas industries.

Under the agreement, the two sides will work together to exchange information and share expertise in the fields of exploration and production, as well as oil field abandonment.

Furthermore, for the five year period the deal covers, the two organisations will cooperate in the training and development of professionals within the industry.

It is expected that the exact nature of the issues to be pursued will be agreed upon at the end of each year.

At the same time, India's state-controlled producer, the Oil & Natural Gas Company (ONGC) has confirmed that it is in talks with Imperial Energy over a possible £1.3 billion acquisition of the UK group as it looks to enhance its production levels.