Team siliconindia

• ONGC is stepping up production through well optimisation, new drilling, and strategic technology partnerships.
• The company recorded its first crude oil production growth in nearly a decade in FY25.
• ONGC is expanding exploration efforts, with a record 578 wells drilled and nine new discoveries made in FY25.

India’s largest oil and gas producer, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), is taking major steps to reverse the decline in its output by ramping up both production and exploration activities. The public sector giant contributes about 70% of the country’s crude oil and 84% of its natural gas.

After years of falling production, ONGC recorded a positive shift in FY25 with standalone crude oil output rising by 0.9%, marking its first growth in nearly a decade. This improvement comes as the company intensifies its efforts to optimise existing wells, drill new ones, and implement advanced recovery techniques. Chairman & CEO Arun Kumar Singh highlighted that ONGC is applying global best practices and strengthening partnerships, including a key collaboration with BP to revive output from its prime offshore asset, Mumbai High.

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Looking ahead, ONGC plans to speed up production from recent discoveries and focus on the monetisation of key projects like the Daman Upside Development Project (DUDP) in FY26. In FY25, ONGC invested a record ₹62,057 crore and is currently executing 21 major projects worth over ₹65,000 crore.

The company is also aggressively expanding its Exploration and Production (E&P) efforts. In FY25, ONGC drilled 578 wells, the highest in 35 years, and made nine new hydrocarbon discoveries across major basins like Mumbai Offshore, Bengal, and Cauvery. It is also pushing into ultra-deepwater drilling in the Andaman basin, collaborating with global energy majors such as ExxonMobil, BP, Total Energies, and Petrobras.