Bidding for as many as 25 hydrocarbon blocks - largest in terms of acreage in a single round - has begun under the Centre's Open Acreage Licensing Program (OALP), government said on February 11, a move that is expected to accelerate exploration and production (E&P) activities in India.
The OALP-X bid round, launched at the sidelines of India Energy Week 2025, offers a total of 25 blocks spread over 13 sedimentary basins, covering an area of approximately 1.91 lakh sq km.
The round is primarily an offshore bid round with 19 such blocks on offer, covering an area of 1.75 lakh sq km. Of the total 25 blocks, six each are On land and in Shallow Water, one in Deep Water, and 12 blocks are in Ultra Deep-Water areas.
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For OALP-X round, a new e-bidding portal is available for more transparent and secure bidding, said the Government, with additional ease of business features.
Launching the latest OALP round, Centre said India has opened up 99 percent of the 'no-go' areas for exploration. In OALP-X, 16 blocks fall in the no-go areas, either sedimentary blocks or areas which were earlier restricted for exploration due to various reasons, including environmental clearance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after inaugurating IEW 2025 virtually, said India's sedimentary basins hold numerous hydrocarbon resources, some of which have been identified, while others await exploration.
The government had introduced the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) to make India's upstream sector more attractive, PM Modi added.
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