While the ministry of petroleum and natural gas has recommended to the empowered committee of secretaries (ECS) names of top bidders for 32 hydrocarbon blocks under Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) rounds II and III, there seems to be no takers for coal-bed methane blocks.
There were eight onland, five shallow water and one ultra-deepwater blocks under auction for OALP-II, a total of 14. Under OALP-III, out of the 23 blocks, 19 are onland (including five coal-bed methane), three in shallow water and one in deepwater. No bids were received for five blocks under round III.
Bids came in for 32 blocks out of the 37, but none for the CBM blocks which were carved out by the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons and put up for auction.
