Open Acreage Licensing Policy rounds X and XI offer 46 blocks

Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) rounds X and XI put 46 oil-and-gas exploration blocks covering 262,823.70 sq km on offer. The two rounds include 28 offshore blocks covering 211,013.53 sq km, or 80.3% of the combined area, making offshore acreage the principal component of the new exploration pipeline.

How large are OALP rounds X and XI?

OALP rounds X and XI together create a 46-block exploration offering of 262,823.70 sq km. Round X is the larger round, with 25 blocks spanning 182,589.21 sq km, while round XI offers 21 blocks covering 80,234.49 sq km. The 102,354.72 sq km difference means round X accounts for 69.5% of the combined acreage.

The two-round acreage offering equals 69.4% of the 378,653 sq km awarded through OALP rounds I to IX. Those first nine rounds placed 177 blocks covering 380,610 sq km on offer and awarded 172 blocks; five unawarded coal-bed methane, or CBM, blocks in round III received no bids. The comparison shows that rounds X and XI are a large acreage pipeline despite containing fewer blocks than the earlier nine rounds.

OALP is a mechanism under the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy, or HELP, through which an investor studies geological and geophysical data held in the National Data Repository, submits an expression of interest and later bids after a block is finalised. The 46 blocks are therefore acreage offered for competitive bidding, rather than discoveries, reserves, production volumes or awarded contracts.

Why is offshore acreage central to OALP rounds X and XI?

Offshore acreage is central to OALP rounds X and XI because the two rounds contain 28 offshore blocks covering 211,013.53 sq km. Round X has 19 offshore blocks over 165,718 sq km, including 13 deep-water and ultra-deep-water blocks over 124,327 sq km. Round XI has nine offshore blocks over 45,295.53 sq km, comprising four shallow-water, one deep-water and four ultra-deep-water blocks.

The offshore area represents 80.3% of the 262,823.70 sq km offered in the two rounds, while offshore blocks account for 28 of the 46 blocks, or 60.9%. The remaining 18 blocks are onland blocks, so larger average block sizes rather than block count alone produce the offshore concentration.

Round X is described as primarily offshore, with six onland blocks, six shallow-water blocks, one deep-water block and 12 ultra-deep-water blocks. Round XI has a more onland-weighted block count, with 12 onland blocks, but its nine offshore blocks still cover 45,295.53 sq km. The offshore share will translate into survey and drilling activity only if bidders secure contracts and undertake their committed work programmes.

What work could the offered OALP acreage generate?

The offered acreage creates a potential pipeline for seismic acquisition, interpretation and wells, but the supplied material does not disclose work volumes for rounds X and XI. Activity first depends on bid submissions, contract awards and the committed work programme, or CWP, accepted for each awarded contract. An offered block does not require an operator-led survey until it is awarded.

OALP round IX provides a comparison for the type of work that can follow an award. Its 28 awarded blocks carried a disclosed CWP of 11,742 line kilometres of two-dimensional seismic, 19,247 sq km of three-dimensional seismic and 45 wells. Round IX covered 136,596 sq km, compared with 262,823.70 sq km offered in rounds X and XI, but the source provides no basis for estimating proportional work because geology and bidder commitments vary by block.

OALP contracts have different timelines by location. Onland and shallow-water contractors have an eight-year exploration period and must complete the CWP within three years from the commencement date. Deep-water and ultra-deep-water contractors have a 10-year exploration period and a four-year CWP deadline, giving the 13 deep-water and ultra-deep-water blocks in round X and five in round XI a longer contractual exploration window.

Which basins and resource categories are included?

OALP round X spans 13 sedimentary basins and round XI spans 11 sedimentary basins, with some basins appearing in both rounds. Round X has nine Category-I blocks, 11 Category-II blocks and five Category-III blocks. Round XI has 14 Category-I blocks, four Category-II blocks and three Category-III blocks, bringing the Category-I total to 23 of the 46 blocks.

The category labels describe resource maturity rather than a guarantee of production. Category I covers basins with proved reserves being produced and exploited, Category II covers basins with contingent resources to be developed and monetised, and Category III covers basins with prospective resources to be explored and discovered. This split matters because HELP gives Category-II and Category-III areas different bidding treatment.

For Category-II and Category-III areas, bidding is based on two-dimensional and three-dimensional seismic acquisition, processing and interpretation, or API, and revenue share does not apply except in the event of windfall gain. Both rounds also offer reduced royalty rates, no oil cess, a single licence for conventional and unconventional hydrocarbons, marketing and pricing freedom, and provisions to swap CWP with other surveys.

What data and policy support the OALP offering?

OALP rounds X and XI rely on data access and seismic appraisal intended to reduce uncertainty before bidding. Basic data packages for round XI blocks are available through the National Data Repository, while additional data may be purchased under the applicable data policy. Round X states that each offered block was technically analysed by international experts for hydrocarbon potential and made freely available to investors.

The National Seismic Programme, or NSP, completed about 46,960 line kilometres of two-dimensional seismic acquisition, processing and interpretation after starting in September 2016. The programme covers Category-I, Category-II and Category-III basins and has supported 11 awarded blocks: seven in Rajasthan, two in Mahanadi and two in Assam Shelf. India has 26 sedimentary basins covering 3.36 million sq km across onland, shallow-water and deep-water areas.

The government also released nearly 99% of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone, or EEZ, for exploration and production after offshore areas had been restricted. The supplied material states that about Rs 7,500 crore is being spent on onland and offshore seismic-data acquisition and stratigraphic wells, alongside approved additional acquisition of 20,000 line kilometres onland and 30,000 line kilometres offshore beyond the EEZ.

Conclusion

OALP rounds X and XI extend India’s exploration offering by 46 blocks covering 262,823.70 sq km, with offshore acreage accounting for 211,013.53 sq km. The combined offering concentrates area in offshore, deep-water and ultra-deep-water locations, while 23 Category-I blocks provide a separate component in basins with proved reserves under production or exploitation.

The next indicator is whether bidders convert the offered blocks into contracts with defined CWPs. Under the disclosed contract timelines, awarded onland and shallow-water blocks must complete CWPs within three years of commencement, while deep-water and ultra-deep-water blocks have four years; actual seismic and drilling demand will depend on awards and contractor commitments.