In a major breakthrough for India’s energy security, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has struck gas in the deep waters of the Mahanadi Basin off the eastern coast of Odisha.This is the first well ONGC has drilled in the Mahanadi Basin under the government’s flagship Samudra Manthan campaign.ONGC said that MDW-28, the maiden well of its current deepwater campaign in the Mahanadi Basin, is flowing gas at encouraging rates with sustained reservoir pressure.#ONGC strikes gas in the deep waters of Mahanadi Basin.MDW-28, the maiden well of ONGC’s current deepwater campaign in the Mahanadi Basin is flowing gas with encouraging rates and sustained reservoir pressure.The campaign was launched on 25 July 2026 by Hon’ble Minister of… pic.twitter.com/whAV8TubIK— Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) (@ONGC_) September 21, 2026The development augurs well for India’s energy security — a major goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship Samudra Manthan campaign.The Mahanadi campaign was launched on July 25 by Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Puri 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 following an evaluation of subsurface data. It is currently flowing at a good gas rate and with healthy reservoir pressure. During operations, top ONGC officials visited the drillship to interact with and encourage the crew onboard. 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 onstream,” ONGC said on Tuesday.The 2025 rules allow the use of shared infrastructure to develop and exploit deepwater resources.ONGC will continue to push into deepwater and ultra-deepwater frontiers in the search for hydrocarbons and work towards India’s goal of energy security.The milestone brings hope for greater energy resilience, especially at a time when supply chains have been strained by the West Asia crisis.India imports approximately 51% of its total natural gas requirements, relying entirely on liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments since it does not have cross-border pipeline connections. According to the latest available data, India’s annual natural gas imports hover around 25.5 million metric tonnes (roughly 35.7 to 37.6 billion cubic metres).Senior BJP leader from Odisha Baijayant Panda termed the breakthrough significant.“A significant breakthrough from the deep waters off Odisha has been reported. ONGC has struck gas in its maiden deepwater well in the Mahanadi Basin. This encouraging discovery is a reflection of PM Modi’s vision of harnessing India’s vast offshore potential to strengthen energy security and build a more resilient, Atmanirbhar energy future. A proud moment for Odisha and a promising new chapter in India’s energy journey,” he said.