ONGC strikes natural gas in the deep waters of Mahanadi Basin. MDW-28, the maiden well of ONGC’s current deep water campaign in the Mahanadi Basin is flowing gas with encouraging rates and sustained reservoir pressure.
The campaign was launched on July 25, 2026 by the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri. It was launched with the spudding of MDW-28 (MN-DW18-1-H-D) in the deep offshore Mahanadi Basin, aligned with the Government’s Samudra Manthan initiative.
The well was perforated on September 18, 2026 following evaluation of subsurface data. It is currently flowing with a good gas rate and healthy reservoir pressure. During operations, ONGC
Chairman, Director (Technology & Field Services) and Director (Exploration) visited the drillship to interact with and encourage the crew onboard.
ONGC Strikes Natural Gas along with other discoveries in the area, can be a candidate for development through shared facilities enabled by the PNG Rules, 2025, bringing deep water resources onstream.
ONGC will continue to push into deep and ultra-deepwater frontiers in the search for hydrocarbons, and towards India’s goal of energy security. This will hopefully unlock a new chapter in India’s energy frontier.
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Also Shares Update on ONGC Strikes Natural Gas
The news of this discovery was also shared by India’s Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, “A major milestone for India’s offshore energy exploration! ONGC continues to unlock new domestic energy sources by exploring India’s deep and ultra-deep water frontiers as a part of the Samudra Manthan initiative launched under the visionary guidance of PM Modi.”
He further added, “The discovery, along with other finds in the area, opens up the potential for cluster development through shared facilities under the PNG Rules, 2025, providing a pathway to bring deepwater resources into production more efficiently.
Kudos to Team ONGC!”
#ONGC strikes gas in the deep waters of Mahanadi Basin #Watch #Odisha pic.twitter.com/9pMKiDtJSB
— The Utkal Post (@theutkalpost) September 22, 2026
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