The Centre on Monday launched Round XI of the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP), offering about 80,228 sq km for oil and gas exploration. Round X, covering around 1,82,589 sq km, also remains on offer, taking the total area available for exploration to about 2.62 lakh sq km, said Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, in a post on X.
“The launch marks a new chapter in India’s energy journey and aims to unlock new exploration areas to support growth and energy security. The move expands acreage across onshore and offshore regions, including frontier basins, as part of efforts to boost domestic hydrocarbon production and reduce import dependence,” Singh said
He said the initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision under ‘Samudra Manthan’, focusing on faster bidding and expansion of exploration acreage. The government has been pushing exploration under the OALP regime to increase domestic output and cut reliance on imports.
