OALP bid round to be completed by March 2018, blocks to be awarded by June 2018

The government plans to complete the first round of auction of oilfields under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) by March 2018 and award the blocks by June 2018. The auction, which is under the Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy, is slated to be launched on January 16, 2018. As of mid-November 2017, the government had received 57 expressions of interest for the first round of the OALP auction. The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) is overseeing the bidding process. The auction will subsequently be launched and the blocks awarded.