ONGC Strikes Gas in Deepwater Mahanadi Basin, Boosting India’s Energy Prospects

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has struck gas in the deep waters of the Mahanadi Basin, marking a significant development in India’s deepwater hydrocarbon exploration efforts.

MDW-28, the maiden well of ONGC’s current deepwater exploration campaign in the Mahanadi Basin, is flowing gas at encouraging rates with sustained reservoir pressure, indicating promising results from the well.

The campaign was launched on July 25, 2026, by Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, with the spudding of well MDW-28 (MN-DW18-1-H-D) in the deep offshore Mahanadi Basin. The initiative is aligned with the Government of India’s Samudra Manthan initiative.

Following an evaluation of subsurface data, the well was perforated on September 18, 2026. It is currently producing gas at a promising rate while maintaining healthy reservoir pressure.

During the operations, ONGC Chairman Arun Singh, Director (Technology & Field Services) Vikram Saxena, and Director (Exploration) O.P. Sinha visited the drillship to interact with and encourage the onboard crew.

The discovery, along with other finds in the area, could be considered for development through shared facilities enabled by the PNG Rules, 2025, potentially facilitating the development of deepwater hydrocarbon resources and bringing them into production.

ONGC will continue its exploration efforts in deep and ultra-deepwater frontiers in search of hydrocarbons, contributing to India’s broader objective of strengthening energy security.

The discovery marks a promising development in India’s offshore exploration journey and could open a new chapter in the country’s energy frontier.