Oil exploration blocks to be finalised by December

October 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The response for the latest round of auction for handing over hydrocarbon assets in India for exploration and development has been "poor", with even Reliance Industries refraining from making a single bid. The deadline for receiving bids for the eighth round of auction under what is called the new exploration licensing policy, was noon Monday.

October 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has bagged 13 blocks in the latest round of auction of hydrocarbon assets, which saw only about half of the oil blocks receiving bids. If ONGC is getting those blocks, then they should find resources to meet their commitments, said Petroleum Secretary R.S.

October 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a bid to introduce competitive bidding for allocation of coal blocks and benefit consuming industries, the government will soon replace the Mines and Minerals Development Regulation Act, 1957, a senior official said Wednesday. "The new draft bill would be placed before the cabinet soon.

October 2nd, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh says export of gas is only the third option in its production-sharing contracts with multinationals engaged in exploration. "We think ultimately gas export will not be needed as we have a shortage of gas," said Muqtadir Ali, chairman of the state-owned oil company Petrobangla, at a media briefing here Thursday.

September 3rd, 2009 Judge blocks drilling on Colo. refugeDENVER — A federal judge has indefinitely blocked oil and gas drilling on a wildlife refuge that sits next to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in south-central Colorado.

September 2nd, 2009 KOLKATA - State-run energy explorer Oil India Ltd (OIL) will start drilling oil blocks in Libya from October for exploring an estimated two trillion cubic metres of reserves, a top company official said Wednesday. "We will drill four wells in Libya by 2010-11.

September 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - From an annual auction of its hydrocarbon blocks, India is moving towards a year-long bidding process, said Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Jitin Prasada here Tuesday. The government of India is moving gradually but inexorably towards the Open Acreage Licensing System from the current New Exploration Licensing Policy, Prasada said at the inauguration of an international conference on National Data Repository (NDR).

August 19th, 2009 HYDERABAD - The Andhra Pradesh government has floated an exploration company to commercially tap the hydrocarbon resources in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin off its coast. The company, Andhra Pradesh Gas Infrastructure Corp (APGIC), has been set up on the lines of Gujarat State Petroleum Corp (GSPC), an oil and gas exploration and production company that operates across India and overseas.

July 28th, 2009 KOLKATA - Nine private players are in the race for extracting coal from 18 abandoned underground mines belonging to three subsidiaries of the state-run Coal India Ltd (CIL), according to a top official. CIL had received expressions of interest from 17 companies for developing the mines, which have a total reserve of around 1,647 million tonnes.

July 6th, 2009 GANDHINAGAR - The state-owned Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) has acquired environmental clearance for 16 of its additional wells to be drilled in its Deendayal gas field in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin on the eastern coast of India, a state official said here Monday. The industry department official said the 16 additional wells in the Block KG-OSN-2001/3 received clearance from the environment and forests ministry for exploration after the firm submitted a pre-feasibility report a month back.

July 1st, 2009 DHAKA - The Bangladesh government may award offshore gas exploration contracts to multinational companies in the Bay of Bengal while excluding blocks that may fall in the territories under dispute with neighbours India and Myanmar. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday directed the energy division to send a proposal to the cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) to award nine offshore gas blocks to two international oil companies, New Age newspaper said.

April 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India Thursday announced the auctions for 80 more hydrocarbon assets in the country, including 10 for coal-bed methane, in the largest such exercise under its new policy on oil and gas exploration. The 70 oil and gas blocks under round number eight of the new policy include 24 in deep waters, 28 in shallow waters and 18 on-land blocks, Petroleum Secretary R.S.

April 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India Thursday announced the auctions for 80 more hydrocarbon assets in the country, including 10 for coal-bed methane, in the largest such exercise under its new policy on oil and gas exploration. The 70 oil and gas blocks under round number eight of the new policy include 24 in deep waters, 28 in shallow waters and 18 on-land blocks, Petroleum Secretary R.S.

April 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Petroleum Secretary R. S. Pandey on Thursday launched the eighth round of the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP), and said the offer would remain open for four months till August 10, 2009.

March 10th, 2009 SURAT - Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) will soon start drilling three exploration wells at a depth of 2,500 to 4,500 metres in the Gulf of Khambhat off northwest Gujarat, officials said. The company has got the clearance from the ministry of environment and forests Feb 22 to start drilling the wells in the CB-ONN-2004/1/2 blocks, they said.