Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has discovered natural gas in the deepwater Mahanadi Offshore Basin, around 43 km off the coast of Konark, Odisha. The discovery was made on September 18, 2026, at the MN-DW18-1-H-D exploratory well under the government’s Samudra Manthan initiative, which aims to expand offshore oil and gas exploration. The well has shown encouraging gas flow and stable reservoir pressure. ONGC will conduct further assessments to determine the size of the discovery and whether it can be commercially developed. The find could help strengthen India’s domestic natural gas resources and support its long-term energy security goals.