Govt extends deadline for CBM & small discovered field bid rounds

New Delhi: The government has extended bid submission deadlines for the Special Coal Bed Methane (CBM) round and the fourth round of Discovered Small Fields (DSF-IV), giving investors more time to assess recent regulatory changes in the hydrocarbons sector.

According to the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), bids for 13 CBM blocks will now close on March 3, while submissions for nine DSF-IV contract areas are due by March 18.

Both rounds were earlier scheduled to close on February 18.

The CBM blocks are spread across Jharkhand, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Telangana.

DSF-IV includes three onshore, four shallow-water and two deepwater areas.

The extension follows revised rules aimed at easing operational and policy constraints, allowing bidders to align proposals with the updated framework, industry sources said.

Separately, the DGH has extended the deadline for the 10th round of the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP-X) to May 29, 2026.

Launched during India Energy Week 2025, the round offers 25 blocks covering nearly 192,000 sq km across 13 sedimentary basins, including four blocks in the Andaman basin.

OALP-X is the largest acreage offering so far. In the previous nine rounds, about 3.78 lakh square (sq) km was offered, with OALP-IX being the biggest until now at 1.36 lakh sq km.