In a major push towards unlocking India’s offshore hydrocarbon potential and reducing dependence on imported crude oil and natural gas, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has begun drilling its first deepwater exploratory well in the Mahanadi offshore basin off the Odisha coast.
The exploratory well, named MN-DW18-1-H-D, is located around 23 nautical miles from ONGC’s Konark discovery, marking the beginning of one of the country’s most ambitious and technically challenging deepwater exploration campaigns. Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri spudded the deepwater exploratory well from New Delhi on Saturday.
The drilling assumes significance as India intensifies efforts to tap vast untapped deepwater and ultra-deepwater offshore reserves under the ambitious Samudra Manthan Campaign, following the Centre’s decision to open nearly one million square kilometres of previously restricted offshore areas for oil and gas exploration under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP).
According to ONGC, India’s eastern and western offshore basins, extending to water depths of up to 3,000 metres, are estimated to hold more than 5,600 million tonnes of oil equivalent (MTOE) of hydrocarbon resources, making deepwater exploration the country’s next major energy frontier.
The Mahanadi offshore basin has emerged as one of the country’s most promising exploration zones following ONGC’s recent Utkal and Konark discoveries, which have significantly enhanced the basin’s hydrocarbon prospectivity. The corporation said the latest drilling campaign could further improve understanding of the basin’s geological potential and pave the way for future commercial production.
“Every prospect evaluated, well drilled and discovery made will contribute towards enhancing domestic production, reducing import dependence and strengthening India’s energy security and self-reliance,” ONGC said in a statement.
The corporation earlier this year established its flagship Deepwater Exploration Mission Centre (DeepX) in Mumbai to support such technologically demanding exploration programmes. Launched on January 5, DeepX serves as the company’s dedicated hub for deepwater exploration by integrating advanced geoscientific interpretation, specialised technical expertise, data analytics, training and global collaborations under the “One Company, One Data” philosophy.
The corporation said DeepX has been designed to strengthen India’s capability to evaluate complex offshore prospects using state-of-the-art seismic interpretation and integrated subsurface analysis, thereby improving the success rate of deepwater exploration.
The latest drilling campaign is also expected to complement the government’s broader strategy of increasing domestic oil and gas production at a time when India continues to rely heavily on imports to meet its energy demand. Discoveries in deepwater basins could play a crucial role in diversifying India’s energy sources while reducing exposure to global supply disruptions and price volatility.
Industry experts said deepwater exploration involves substantial technological complexity and investment due to extreme water depths, high-pressure reservoirs and harsh operating conditions. However, successful discoveries can significantly boost long-term domestic hydrocarbon production.
With the commencement of drilling in the Mahanadi offshore basin, Odisha assumes greater strategic importance in India’s offshore energy landscape. The basin, stretching along the state’s coastline, has increasingly attracted exploration interest following encouraging geological findings over the past few years.
“The next frontier is deep waters. India is ready to explore it,” ONGC said, underscoring the strategic importance of the mission in the country’s quest for energy independence.
