ONGC discovers natural gas in MN-DWHP-2018/1 block

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has made two natural gas discoveries in the MN-DWHP-2018/1 block at Mahanadi basin, Bay of Bengal. The first discovery (Utkal) is at a water depth of 714 m while the second is 1,110 m deep. During early testing, around 0.3 million standard cubic meters per day gas flowed from Utkal. The discoveries have been made in area earlier classified as a no-go area due to national security concerns. Under Open OALP-III auction in 2019, ONGC won the deepwater block. It then acquired 1,432.14 square km 3D seismic data and drilled a well, MNDW18H-B-1 in the block in August 2023.