Hydrocarbon Exploration And Licensing Policy ("HELP")

HELP – the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy, was approved by the Union Cabinet, Government of India on March 10, 2016. HELP replaces NELP – the New Exploration Licensing Policy (for exploration and production of oil & natural gas but excluding coal bed methane), and the Coal Bed Methane ("CBM") Policy, both of which were formulated by the Government of India sometime in 1997-98.

NELP had undergone 9 rounds of international competitive bidding since 1999 with a total of 254 blocks awarded, of which, according to a 2014 Directorate General of Hydrocarbon ("DGH") report, 148 are currently operational and 106 relinquished. There has been a total of 128 hydrocarbon discoveries (46 oil and 82 gas) made in 42 NELP blocks, of which commercial production could only commence in 6 blocks, viz. (i) Reliance-operated KG-DWN-98/3 (3 discoveries: 1 oil and 2 gas), (ii) NIKO-operated CB-ONN-2000/2 (2 gas discoveries), (iii) GSPCL-operated CB-ONN-2000/1 (1 oil discovery),