India Extends CBM and DSF Bid Deadlines, Aligns Hydrocarbon Rounds With Revised Oil and Gas Rules

Government Gives Investors More Time for CBM and DSF-IV Bids​

New Delhi, February 23: The government has extended the bid submission deadlines for the Special Coal Bed Methane Bid Round and the fourth round of Discovered Small Fields, offering investors additional time to align proposals with recent changes in oil and gas regulations.

According to the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, bids for 13 coal-bed methane blocks will now close on March 3. The blocks are located across Jharkhand and West Bengal with one block each, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha with two blocks each, and Telangana with three blocks.

Alongside the CBM round, nine contract areas under DSF-IV are also open for bidding, with the revised deadline now set for March 18. These fields comprise smaller oil and gas discoveries that were previously considered economically unviable for production.

Both the Special CBM Bid Round and DSF-IV were earlier scheduled to close on February 18.

CBM and DSF Blocks: Onshore, Offshore and Deepwater Opportunities​

Coal seam gas, known as CBM, is extracted from beneath coal seams and can be used for electricity generation, fertilizer production, or converted into CNG. Oil produced from such fields is refined into fuels including petrol and diesel.

Under DSF-IV, the government has offered three onshore blocks, four shallow-water offshore blocks, and two deep-sea blocks. The extension of deadlines follows the introduction of revised rules aimed at easing operational and policy constraints in the hydrocarbons sector. The move is expected to give bidders greater clarity and allow them to adjust proposals in line with the updated regulatory framework.

OALP-X Deadline Extended Till May 29, 2026​

In a related development, the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons has also extended the bid submission deadline for the 10th round of the Open Acreage Licensing Policy, known as OALP-X, until May 29, 2026.

The OALP-X round was launched in February 2025 during India Energy Week 2025 in New Delhi and was originally scheduled to close at the end of July. The deadline was later extended to October 31 and then to December 31, 2025, before being moved to February 18, 2026. It has now been extended further to May 29.

While no official reason was provided for the latest extension, industry sources indicated that it may be linked to the introduction of liberalized rules following the passage of the Oilfields Regulation and Development Amendment Bill, giving investors more time to study the revised framework.

OALP-X Offers Largest Exploration Acreage So Far​

Under OALP-X, 25 blocks covering approximately 191,986 square kilometres have been offered for exploration and production of oil and natural gas. The acreage includes six onshore blocks, six shallow-water tracts, one deepwater block, and 12 ultra-deepwater blocks spread across 13 sedimentary basins.

The round includes four blocks in the Andaman basin, covering a combined area of 47,058 square kilometres. Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has highlighted the basin’s potential, stating it could hold volumes of oil and gas comparable to major global exploration hotspots.

The OALP-X round represents the largest area offered so far under the policy framework. In the previous nine rounds, a total area of 3.78 lakh square kilometres was offered. The ninth round, OALP-IX, had featured 28 blocks spanning 1.36 lakh square kilometres, making it the largest round before OALP-X.

With multiple bid rounds now extended, the government’s move signals a continued push to attract investment into India’s hydrocarbon exploration and production sector while aligning licensing processes with updated regulatory reforms.