44 BIDS RECEIVED FOR 22 NELP-IV
BLOCKS
BEST
RESPONSE TO NELP ROUNDS SO FAR: RAM NAIK
Shri Ram Naik, Minister
(P&NG) announced that 44 bids had been received for 21 blocks
under the fourth round of the New Exploration Licensing Policy
(NELP-IV) by the bid closing date of 30.9.2003. The onland blocks,
for which bids have been received, fall in the States of Assam,
Bihar, Gujarat, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu and Tripura.
In all 19 companies
have submitted bids (details enclosed). Out of these 12
are domestic while 7 are foreign companies. 9companies have bid
for the first time ever under NELP. These new companies are Zarubezneftgaz,
Russia; BGEPIL, UK, Aban Lloyd Chiles Offshore, India; Hydrocarbon
Resources Development (P) Limited, India; BPCL, India; HPCL, India;
Prize Petroleum Limited, India; Canoro Resources Limited, Canada;
and India Hydrocarbon Limited, India. 17 blocks attracted multiple
bids, whereas 4 blocks attracted single bids. Thus under NELP-IV,
the number of blocks attracting multiple bids as well as the percentage
of the blocks bid for as against those offered has been the highest
compared to the previous three rounds. It may be recalled that
the Government of India, in May, 2003 had offered a total of 24
blocks covering 11 onland, 1 shallow water and 12 deepwater blocks
under NELP-IV. The Government has so far signed 70 Production
Sharing Contracts (PSCs) under the first three rounds of NELP.
Government of India
had undertaken a comprehensive promotional exercise to promote
the blocks through five road-shows at New Delhi, London, Houston,
Calgary and Perth and through an exclusive NELP-IV IndigoPool
website. During the road-shows as well as on the web-site, the
response of companies had been quite encouraging.
Earlier 48 companies
had reviewed the data packages for the 24 blocks on offer. The
no. of companies visiting data rooms for review of data under
NELP-IV as well as the no. of data packages purchased was the
highest as compared to the previous three NELP rounds. A total
of 75 data packages were sold. The total amount received from
sale of data packages is about US$ 3.5 million (about Rs. 17 crores).
Shri Naik said that
evaluation of bids received under NELP-IV will be undertaken on
priority. The bids would be evaluated in accordance with the transparent
quantitative Bid Evaluation Criteria (BEC), as already informed
through Notice Inviting Offers (NIO). He said that efforts would
be made to evaluate and award the blocks in about two and half
months time and thereafter sign the contracts in another one and
half months time. The full process was expected to be completed
by end January, 2004.
Shri Naik brought
out the positive results, which had already started flowing from
the three rounds of NELP under implementation. He mentioned that
a total of 9 discoveries have been made under the first two rounds
of NELP. With the aggressive implementation of ongoing work programme,
further discoveries could be expected in the near future. Shri
Naik mentioned that preparations for NELP-V were in progress and
the bids were expected to be invited in the first quarter of 2004-05.
ANNEXURE
Details of the
bids received under NELP-IV by last date of bidding on 30.9.2003
|
S. No.
|
Block Name
|
State/Basin
|
Area
(Sq. Kms.)
|
Name of
bidders(s)
|
|
Onland
Blocks
|
|
1
|
AA-ONN-2002/1
|
TRIPURA
|
1,680
|
- Enpro Finance Ltd. – GAIL
- Niko Resources Ltd.
- ONGC-OIL
|
|
2
|
AA-ONN-2002/2
|
MANIPUR
|
3,850
|
No bid received
|
|
3
|
AA-ONN-2002/3
|
ASSAM
|
1,460
|
- ONGC-OIL
- Canoro Resources Ltd.- India
Hydrocarbons Ltd.
|
|
4
|
AA-ONN-2002/4
|
NAGALAND
|
1,060
|
- ONGC-OIL
- Canoro Resources Ltd.
|
|
5
|
GV-ONN-2002/1
|
BIHAR
|
15,550
|
1. Cairn Energy
(through two subsidiaries)
|
|
6
|
RJ-ONN-2002/1
|
RAJASTHAN
|
9,900
|
1. OIL-ONGC
|
|
7
|
CB-ONN-2002/1
|
GUJARAT
|
135
|
- GSPC-Geoglobal (Barbadose)
Resources – Prize Petroleum
- ONGC-Cairn Energy
|
|
8
|
CB-ONN-2002/2
|
GUJARAT
|
125
|
- GSPC-Jubilant Enpro-Geoglobal
Resources
- ONGC-BPCL-Cairn Energy
- Aban Lloyd Chiles-Hydrocarbon
Resources Development Limited
|
|
9
|
CB-ONN-2002/3
|
GUJARAT
|
285
|
- GAIL-Zarubezneftgaz
- GSPC-Jubilant Enpro-Prize
Petroleum-Geoglobal Resources
- ONGC-BPCL-Cairn Energy
|
|
10
|
CY-ONN-2002/1
|
TAMILNADU
|
680
|
- GSPC-Enpro Finance-GAIL
- ONGC-HPCL
|
|
11
|
CY-ONN-2002/2
|
TAMILNADU
|
280
|
1. ONGC-BPCL
|
|
Shallow Offshore
Block
|
|
12
|
PR-OSN-2002/1
|
PALAR
|
10,370
|
No bid received
|
|
Deepwater
Block
|
|
13
|
GS-DWN-2002/1
|
GUJARAT-SAURASHTRA
|
21,450
|
1. ONGC
|
|
14
|
KK-DWN-2002/1
|
KERALA-KONKAN
|
14,780
|
1. ONGC-OIL-BPCL
|
|
15
|
KK-DWN-2002/2
|
KERALA-KONKAN
|
22,810
|
- BGEPIL-GAIL
- ONGC-HPCL
|
|
16
|
KK-DWN-2002/3
|
KERALA-KONKAN
|
20,910
|
1. ONGC-HPCL
|
|
17
|
KG-DWN-2002/1
|
KRISHNA-GODAVARI
|
10,600
|
1. RIL-Hardy
Expl. & Prod. India Inc. (HEPI)
2.ONGC-OIL
|
|
18
|
MN-DWN-2002/1
|
MAHANADI - NEC
|
9,980
|
- RIL-HEPI
- ONGC-OIL-BPCL
|
|
19
|
MN-DWN-2002/2
|
MAHANADI - NEC
|
11,390
|
- RIL-HEPI
- ONGC
|
|
20
|
MN-DWN-2002/3
|
MAHANADI - NEC
|
17,050
|
- RIL-HEPI
- Niko Resources Ltd.
- ONGC
|
|
21
|
NEC-DWN-2002/1
|
MAHANADI - NEC
|
25,565
|
- RIL-HEPI
- ONGC
|
|
22
|
NEC-DWN-2002/2
|
MAHANADI - NEC
|
15,465
|
- RIL-HEPI
- BGEPIL
- Niko Resources Ltd.
- GSPC-GAIL
- ONGC
|
|
23
|
AN-DWN-2002/1
|
ANDAMAN-NICOBAR
|
10,990
|
- RIL-HEPI
- ONGC
|
|
24
|
AN-DWN-2002/2
|
ANDAMAN-NICOBAR
|
12,495
|
- RIL-HEPI
- ONGC
|
Note : 2 bids
were received through post. After opening these bids, they appeared
to be incomplete and also they had not purchased the data packages.
No. of companies
bid : 19
Indian Private
companies : 6
Public Sector
Units : 6
Foreign companies
: 7
No. of blocks
attracted multiple bids : 17
No. of blocks
attracting single bid : 5
No. of blocks
received no bid : 2