Cairn Oil & Gas Bags 7 New Blocks In OALP Round 9, Expands Exploration Footprint

Vedanta on Tuesday said its subsidiary, Cairn Oil & Gas, has acquired seven new blocks under the ninth round of the Open Acreage Licensing Policy auction. This move will allow the company to boost its oil and gas exploration and production efforts, especially along the West Coast, according to an exchange filing.

The newly acquired blocks include four onshore and three shallow water blocks, located in the hydrocarbon-rich basins of Cambay, Saurashtra, and Mumbai.

Cairn Oil & Gas, a Vedanta group company, is India’s largest private oil and gas explorer and producer. It currently contributes around 25% of the country’s domestic crude oil output and has committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2030.

The company picked up seven out of 28 blocks auctioned in Round 9, in line with its long-term goal to contribute 50% of India’s domestic crude production. With these latest additions, Cairn now holds 69 blocks spread across 73,000 square km in India.

Previously, Cairn had secured 36 blocks in Round 1, five in Round 2, and three in Round 3 of the auction process. It also operates the Lakshmi and Gauri fields in the offshore Cambay basin in Gujarat’s Bharuch district.