Maiden deepwater well MDW-28 flows gas at encouraging rates 43 km off Konark; Minister Hardeep Puri calls it a major milestone for India's offshore exploration under 'Samudra Manthan'

Bhubaneswar / New Delhi | Sept 22, 2026

In a major boost to India's energy security, state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has discovered natural gas in the deep waters of the Mahanadi Basin off the Odisha coast.

The discovery was made at well *MDW-28 (MN-DW18-1-H-D)*, the maiden well of ONGC's current deepwater campaign in the basin. The well was perforated on September 18, 2026, after detailed evaluation of subsurface geological and geophysical data and is currently flowing gas with encouraging rates and sustained reservoir pressure.

*A New Frontier 43 km Off Konark*

According to ONGC, the well was drilled to a target depth of 1,623 metres in the deep offshore Mahanadi Basin, approximately 43 km from Konark. The gas-bearing interval was encountered between 1,441–1,452 metres. Officials confirmed healthy, stable reservoir pressure — a key indicator of a commercially promising structure.

The drilling campaign was ceremonially launched on July 25, 2026, when Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri spudded the MDW-28 well from the Platinum Explorer drillship. During the operation, ONGC Chairman and CEO Arun Kumar Singh, Director (T&FS) Vikram Saxena and Director (Exploration) O.P. Sinha visited the drillship to interact with the crew.

*'Samudra Manthan' Bearing Fruit*

The well is part of the Centre's ambitious *'Samudra Manthan' — the National Offshore Exploration Scheme*, approved by the Union Cabinet last month as a Central Sector Scheme with an outlay of Rs 84,084 crore through FY 2030-31. It is India's most ambitious offshore exploration mission to date, aimed at reducing the country's annual crude import bill of nearly $144 billion.

Reacting to the discovery, Minister Hardeep Singh Puri posted on X:

> "A major milestone for India's offshore energy exploration! ONGC continues to unlock new domestic energy sources by exploring India's deep and ultra-deepwater frontiers as a part of the Samudra Manthan initiative launched under the visionary guidance of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji."

*What Next? Cluster Development*

In its statement, ONGC said, "This find, along with other discoveries in the area, can be a candidate for development through shared facilities enabled by the PNG Rules, 2025, bringing deepwater resources on stream. ONGC will continue to push into deep and ultra-deepwater frontiers in the search for hydrocarbons, and towards India's goal of energy security. Hopefully, a new chapter in India's energy frontier."

Experts believe that if appraisal wells confirm commercial volumes, the Mahanadi offshore could be developed as a cluster — a model that drastically cuts development costs and time.

The discovery builds upon previous successes in the Krishna-Godavari basin and signals that India's east coast deepwater frontier, long considered challenging, is now opening up.