The government has again extended the deadline for bids for deepwater and ultra-deepwater oil and gas blocks under OALP-X and OALP-XI to November 15, 2026, giving explorers two additional months as implementation rules for the recently approved ₹84,084-crore Samudra Manthan offshore exploration scheme remain awaited.
The latest extension is another postponement for the offshore acreage after the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) had earlier moved the closing date to September 17. DGH did not specify a reason for the extension.
“The latest extension is likely tied to the yet-to-be-framed implementation rules for the ₹84,084-crore Samudra Manthan National Offshore Exploration Scheme, which targets more than 600 million tonnes of oil-equivalent additional reserves from India’s offshore acreage,” said an expert.
The Union Cabinet approved the scheme at the end of July. It provides for the government to bear up to 50% of the cost of drilling deep-sea and ultra-deep-sea wells, potentially lowering exploration risks for companies entering technically challenging offshore acreage. Rules for implementing the scheme are yet to be announced.
The repeated extensions come as the government seeks to attract investment into domestic exploration and reduce dependence on imported oil and gas.
Timeline History
OALP-X, launched in February 2025, offered 25 blocks spanning about 182,589 sq km across 13 sedimentary basins, making it the largest OALP round by acreage at the time. It comprises six onshore, six shallow-water, one deepwater and 12 ultra-deepwater blocks.
Of the total, 19 blocks are offshore, including 13 deepwater and ultra-deepwater blocks covering around 124,327 sq km. Bidding for onshore and shallow-water blocks closed on June 19, 2026.
OALP-X has now seen six deadline extensions. The round was initially scheduled to close at the end of July 2025 before being pushed to October 31, December 31, February 18, September 17, and now November 15, 2026.