ONGC Discovers Natural Gas Off Odisha Coast
Success in Deep-Sea Exploration of Mahanadi Offshore Basin; Gas Flow Continues for Three Days
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has achieved a significant breakthrough in India’s search for domestic energy resources, discovering natural gas in the deep waters of the Mahanadi Offshore Basin, around 43 kilometres off the Odisha coast.
The discovery was made on September 18 from the MN-DW-1-H-D well, drilled under ONGC’s deep-sea exploration campaign,‘Samudra Manthan’. Drilling at the well began on July 25 and reached a depth of 1,623 metres. The presence of gas was detected between depths of 1,441 and 1,452 metres.
First Well Drilled by ONGC in the Basin Under the Current Campaign
The MN-DW-1-H-D well is the first well drilled by ONGC in the Mahanadi Basin under its current exploration campaign.
According to ONGC, the well has recorded a continuous flow of natural gas for three consecutive days. The company has described the flow rate and reservoir pressure as encouraging.
The discovery could contribute to expanding India’s domestic hydrocarbon resources and reducing dependence on imported energy. However, ONGC has not yet disclosed the estimated size of the gas reserve or its potential production capacity.
Commercial Viability Yet to Be Determined
The discovery of gas does not yet confirm that the resource can be commercially produced. Further assessment and exploration will be required to determine the size of the reserve, production potential and commercial viability of the discovery.
ONGC has also indicated that the possibility of developing the resource using common infrastructure with other discoveries already made in the region could be explored in the future.
Focus on Deep-Sea Energy Exploration
ONGC continues to explore for oil and natural gas in India’s deep and ultra-deepwater regions. The latest discovery in the Mahanadi Offshore Basin marks another step in the exploration of India’s domestic energy resources and could open up further possibilities for hydrocarbon development in the region.
