#oalp

The growth of Indian exploration acreage has been a key priority for the country’s energy security strategy. With rising oil and gas demand, India has consistently focused on expanding the availability of exploration blocks to attract both domestic and international investors. The government’s initiatives under the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) and later the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) have played a pivotal role in offering large areas of sedimentary basins for exploration.

India has 26 sedimentary basins covering an area of about 3.36 million square kilometers, out of which a significant portion is yet to be fully explored. Increasing Indian exploration acreage is seen as critical to reducing import dependence, as the country currently imports more than 80% of its crude oil requirements. By offering larger exploration opportunities, the government aims to unlock untapped hydrocarbon reserves, especially in frontier regions, deepwater, and ultra-deepwater blocks.

Recent policy reforms, including an open acreage licensing policy (OALP), allow companies to select areas of interest for bidding rather than waiting for government announcements. This investor-friendly mechanism has enhanced transparency and efficiency in awarding contracts, thereby boosting confidence in the sector. With growing private participation and the involvement of global energy players, India’s exploration landscape is becoming increasingly competitive.

For stakeholders, keeping track of developments in Indian exploration acreage is vital to understanding future energy trends and investment opportunities. Reliable platforms like Indian Petroplus provide exclusive insights, detailed reports, and timely updates on exploration acreage, policy reforms, and bidding rounds. By staying informed, companies can make strategic decisions and align with India’s long-term energy goals, Offshore India, Onshore Exploration, OALP, HELP Policy, Energy Security India, Make in India Energy.For exclusive stories on the oil and gas sector, please register on www.indianpetroplus.com

India’s energy sector is guided by dynamic and evolving oil and gas policies that aim to ensure energy security, attract investment, and accelerate the nation’s transition toward cleaner fuels. Over the past decade, the Indian government has introduced several landmark reforms to boost exploration, enhance transparency, and promote ease of doing business in the hydrocarbons sector.

Among the most significant initiatives is the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP), which replaced the earlier NELP framework to simplify bidding, ensure revenue sharing, and allow uniform licensing for all hydrocarbons. Complementing this is the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP), enabling companies to bid for blocks of their choice through continuous rounds—making India’s upstream sector more competitive and investor- friendly.

To promote gas usage, the National Gas Grid and City Gas Distribution (CGD) policies are expanding access to natural gas across industries and households. Policies supporting LNG infrastructure, strategic reserves, and refining capacity expansion have also strengthened India’s position as an emerging energy hub.

According to Indian Petroplus, India’s trusted energy intelligence platform, these forward-looking oil and gas policies in India are unlocking new opportunities for investors, EPC companies, and technology providers. Indian Petroplus provides exclusive data on tenders, projects, investments, and regulatory updates that shape the country’s energy landscape.

Stay ahead of policy shifts and project developments with www.indianpetroplus.com — your gateway to India’s evolving oil, gas, and energy ecosystem, oil and gas policies in India, Indian Petroplus, Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy, OALP India.

India’s upstream sector is experiencing a renewed push through the expansion of Indian exploration acreage, aimed at boosting domestic oil and gas production and reducing import dependency. As of 2025, the Indian government has awarded over 1.2 million square kilometers of exploration acreage under various bidding rounds through the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP).

The latest Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) rounds have significantly increased investor interest, offering flexibility in acreage selection and streamlined approvals. According to Indian Petroplus, more than 140 blocks have been awarded across sedimentary basins under OALP, making it a critical tool for enhancing Indian exploration acreage.

Strategic basins such as Krishna-Godavari (KG), Cambay, Mumbai Offshore, and Assam-Arakan continue to attract bids, with exploration campaigns targeting both conventional and unconventional resources.  Indian Petroplus notes that India’s sedimentary basins cover 26 basins, of which only a third are currently under active exploration, highlighting the untapped potential in Indian exploration acreage. In 2025, ONGC, OIL, and several private players are expanding their seismic surveys and drilling activities in frontier and deepwater regions. Indian Petroplus reports that the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) is planning further reforms to accelerate block monetization and encourage foreign participation.

Technological advancements like 3D seismic imaging, AI-driven subsurface modeling, and faster exploration cycles are transforming how companies approach Indian exploration acreage. With a strong focus on increasing the exploration-to-production conversion ratio, India aims to significantly enhance its domestic output over the next decade.

Indian Petroplus continues to track all updates related to exploration bidding rounds, basin potential, and policy changes, providing valuable insights for stakeholders interested in Indian exploration acreage,Exploration Licensing, OALP, Energy Sector India, Oil Blocks India, Energy Policy India, Offshore Exploration, Onshore Exploration.

For access to many such exclusive stories, please register on www.indianpetroplus.com

India’s exploration acreage is expanding rapidly as the nation intensifies efforts to reduce hydrocarbon imports and boost domestic energy resilience. Under the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) and the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP), Indian Petroplus delivers comprehensive coverage of these exploration acreage updates, tracking block acreage sizes, geological features, acreage map overlays, and the status of bidding rounds (like OALP VII and VIII). Data on available acreages, attractively structured production-sharing contracts (PSCs) Exploration acreage updates also include seismic coverage – 2D, 3D, and 4D surveys – environmental clearances, technical bid submissions, and evaluation phase announcements. Indian Petroplus further analyzes acreage competition trends, As India focuses on deepwater and ultra-deepwater plays and seeks unconventional hydrocarbons (shale, CBM), exploration acreage activity is gaining momentum. Indian Petroplus equips oil & gas professionals and investors with timely insights, acreage alerts, exploration block analytics, and strategic mapping. Exploration Acreage Oil And Gas India Hydrocarbon Exploration OALP HELP Policy

    In news:The Directorate General of Hyrdrocarbons (DGH) had recently announced the completion of the first round of bidding under its new Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP), a part of its revamped Hyrdrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) unveiled in March 2016.

  What is OALP?

The policy was brought out in June 2017 and marked a departure from the previous regime in terms of the…