ONGC Kicks Off Landmark Deepwater Drilling in Mahanadi Basin

New Delhi: State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) began drilling its first deepwater exploration well in the Mahanadi offshore basin on Saturday, marking the beginning of an ambitious campaign to tap India’s deep and ultra-deepwater hydrocarbon resources.

ONGC has launched exploration well MN-DW18-1-HD under the government’s Samudra Manthan mission, the company said in a statement.

The well is being drilled approximately 23 nautical miles from the Konark discovery off the Odisha coast, building on ONGC’s recent Utkal and Konark discoveries, which leverage the hydrocarbon potential of the Mahanadi Offshore Basin.

The drilling campaign is part of India’s effort to accelerate exploration of offshore oil and gas reserves. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech on August 15, 2025, had called for tapping the country’s untapped offshore hydrocarbon potential.

In line with this vision, the government has opened approximately one million square kilometers of previously restricted offshore area for exploration, paving the way for new areas to be made available under future rounds of the Open Area Licensing Policy (OALP).

India’s eastern and western offshore basins, which extend to water depths of up to 3,000 metres, are estimated to host hydrocarbon resources of more than 5,600 million metric tonnes of petroleum equivalent (MMTOE).

According to the statement, recent exploration successes in the Cauvery, Mahanadi and Andaman basins have further strengthened the outlook for offshore exploration.

ONGC launched its flagship Deepwater Research Mission Center DeepX in Mumbai in January this year to support its deepwater exploration programme. The center combines the company’s geoscientific expertise, advanced interpretation capabilities, specialized training and global collaborations under the “One Company, One Data” philosophy.

The start of drilling marks the beginning of one of India’s most challenging deepwater exploration campaigns aimed at increasing domestic oil and gas production, reducing import dependence and strengthening the country’s energy security, the company said.

“The start of drilling marks the beginning of one of India’s most challenging deepwater exploration campaigns. Every discovery that is evaluated, well drilled and made will contribute to increasing domestic production, reducing import dependence and strengthening India’s energy security and self-reliance,” the statement said.