New Delhi, Sep 21: State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has announced a major breakthrough in India's energy sector, striking natural gas in the deep waters of the Mahanadi Basin off the Odisha coast.
The maiden well of ONGC's active deepwater campaign, designated as MDW-28 (MN-DW18-1-H-D), is currently flowing gas at encouraging rates with sustained and healthy reservoir pressure.
The deepwater exploration campaign was officially kicked off on July 25, 2026, by the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, under the Government's strategic Samudra Manthan initiative. Following a thorough evaluation of subsurface data, the well was successfully perforated on September 18, 2026.
Highlighting the significance of the operation, top ONGC leadership—including Chairman Arun Kumar Singh, Director for Technology and Field Services Vikram Singh, and Director for Exploration OP Sinha—personally visited the drillship to interact with and boost the morale of the onboard crew.
According to ONGC, this significant find, coupled with other regional discoveries, presents strong potential for commercial development through shared facilities enabled by the PNG Rules, 2025.
This framework is expected to fast-track the monetization and bringing onstream of vital deepwater resources.
The company stated that it will continue its aggressive pursuit into deep and ultra-deepwater frontiers, marking a promising new chapter in India's quest for long-term energy security and self-reliance.
