Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) Latest News
Oil India undertook a seismic study of the blocks it was awarded during the ninth round of the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) to chart a bidding strategy for the tenth round.
About Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP)
- It was introduced by the Government of India (GoI) as a part of the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (“HELP”) on March 30, 2016.
- HELP replaced the New Exploration and Licensing Policy (NELP) regime, which was in existence for over 18 years.
- OALP is a major reform that changed how companies can apply for oil & gas exploration blocks in India.
- Under the OALP, the company has the option to undertake prospecting for fuels in areas which are not notified by the GoI.
- Prospecting refers to drilling the selected area to check availability of hydrocarbon fuels.
- The OLAP gives a company the opportunity to prospect for fuels in any area where the technical feasibility study indicates the presence of hydrocarbons.
- The technical feasibility study is an analysis which indicates the likelihood of availability of hydrocarbons in an area.
- Once the feasibility study shows the presence of hydrocarbons, the company can proceed with the exploration after obtaining permission from the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH).
- If multiple requests for sanction are received for the same area, the DGH will make an allotment by conducting an auction.
- Until the OALP was introduced, exploration for hydrocarbons was allowed only in the case of areas covered by the tenders issued by the GoI.
- Under the OALP the exploration can be made without waiting for an announcement from the GoI that an area is available for exploration.
- The OALP regime also allows companies access to seismic data at the National Data Repository (NDR).
- NDR is an online data library containing:
- Seismic surveys
- Geological maps
- Well logs
- Exploration history
- Companies can study the data and propose new blocks.
- NDR is an online data library containing:
Source: TH
Last updated on January, 2026
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Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) FAQs
Q1. What is the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP)?+
Q2. Under which broader policy was Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) introduced?+
Q3. What major reform did Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) bring to hydrocarbon exploration in India?+
Q4. What is the National Data Repository (NDR)?+
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