Oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri said 10 blocks for exploration and production of oil and gas were offered in the eighth round of Open Acreage Licensing Policy
Public sector giant Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) won seven of the 10 oil and gas exploration that were put up for bidding on Wednesday as part of the eighth round of Open Acreage Licensing.
India had offered 10 blocks for bidding of which ONGC won seven, Oil India, Sun Petrochemicals, and a consortium of Reliance Industries Ltd and BP Plc got one area each. Contracts for the 10 blocks were signed on Wednesday. "Estimated investments in awarded blocks for committed exploration work program is to the tune of $7.4 Million," the press statement added.
In the recent Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP-VIII) bid round, India s ONGC won seven exploration blocks while Reliance Industries Ltd and BP Plc secured one. Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri confirmed the signing of contracts for 10 blocks, including three coal-bed methane (CBM) areas. The bidding saw limited private sector participation, with notable exclusions of global energy majors. The government aims to bolster domestic oil and gas production, emphasizing policy reforms to reduce import dependency.