Now Reading: DGH extends deepwater oil blocks bidding deadline to December 10
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DGH extends deepwater oil blocks bidding deadline to December 10
The Story in Brief
The government has extended the bidding deadline for deepwater and ultra-deepwater oil and gas blocks under the 10th and 11th Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) rounds to December 10, 2026. The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) announced the extension, which is the seventh postponement for OALP-X and the third for OALP-XI.
Industry sources said the move gives companies time to evaluate the ₹84,084-crore Samudra Manthan National Offshore Exploration Scheme, whose guidelines were released on October 22. The scheme covers up to 50% of eligible drilling costs, capped at ₹675 crore per well. OALP-X, launched in February 2025, offered 25 blocks, and OALP-XI, launched in March 2026, offered 21 blocks. Bidding for onshore and shallow-water acreage in both rounds closed on June 19, 2026.
Update, 9 November 2026: Business Standard and The Hans India now also report the deadline extension to December 10, confirming the DGH announcement and the industry source linking the delay to the Samudra Manthan scheme's financial support framework, capped at Rs 675 crore per well.
Indian Opinion Analysis
All four outlets report the same facts: the DGH has extended the OALP-X and OALP-XI deepwater bidding deadline to December 10, marking the seventh and third postponements respectively, and industry sources link the move to the ₹84,084-crore Samudra Manthan scheme, whose guidelines were released on October 22. The Hindu Business Line, Business Standard, and The Hans India offer near-identical wire-service copy, attributing the extension to the time needed to evaluate the new financial support framework, capped at ₹675 crore per well. The Economic Times frames the repeated delays as a sign of difficulty drawing investors into high-cost offshore exploration, but otherwise reports the same detail. The coverage is uniform straight reporting, no outlet editorialises or omits a key figure. The next concrete date is December 10, 2026, the new deadline.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): Syndicated copy (carried by thehindubusinessline.com, business-standard.com), economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report), thehansindia.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
