India has launched its largest-ever hydrocarbon exploration bidding round, offering 1,91,986.21 sq. km under Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) Round X. The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) presented a detailed technical analysis of the 25 available blocks and introduced the updated National Data Repository (NDR) 2.0 on the second day of India Energy Week 2025.
The session, hosted by DGH, featured presentations from Dr. Kaustav Nag, Additional Director General, DGH, and Vinod Seshan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, who highlighted the geographical distribution of the blocks. Spread across 13 sedimentary basins, the bid round includes 12 ultra-deepwater blocks, one deepwater block, six shallow-water blocks, and six onland blocks.
The blocks have been categorised based on their geological potential: nine Category-I blocks are under commercial exploitation, 11 Category-II blocks are in the development phase, and five Category-III blocks remain unexplored. Technical experts from the University of Houston, Beicip-Franlab, and Halliburton provided additional insights using Sediment Thickness Maps, Basement Time Maps, and Seismo-Geological Sections.
The session also outlined proposed amendments to the Oilfields (Regulation & Development) Act to enhance the attractiveness of India’s exploration and production sector for investors. Additionally, Akash Goyal, Additional Director General, DGH, introduced NDR 2.0, an upgraded platform that allows investors to access and download exploration data without human intervention, improving efficiency and decision-making for stakeholders.
