Reliance, Essar emerge as top bidders for CBM blocks

Reliance Industries Ltd. and Essar Group have emerged as top bidders for the 16 coal-bed methane (CBM) blocks offered across two consecutive bidding rounds, according to a list of bidders released by the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH). 

State-owned Oil India Ltd. bid for three blocks while India's largest oil and gas producer, ONGC Ltd. stayed away. 

The government offered three areas for exploration and production of natural gas that is trapped within coal seams underground, in the Special CBM Bid Round 2025, and another 13 blocks in the 2026 bidding round. 

Bids for the two rounds closed on March 5. 

The gas produced, called CBM or coal seam gas, is used as a cleaner-burning fuel for power generation, heating, and industrial use. It can also be turned into CNG to run automobiles and piped to household kitchens for cooking. It generally produces fewer emissions than coal when burned. 

Blocks offered in the 2025 and 2026 Special CBM bid rounds fall in Category II and III basins, where entities offering the most work programme (drilling most wells) are awarded the areas. 

Reliance bid for three out of the 13 blocks offered in Special CBM Bid Round 2026 while Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Ltd (EOGEPL) bid for three blocks of 2026 round and two of the three blocks offered in 2025 round. 

One block in the 2025 round and seven of 2026 round did not attract any bids, according to DGH. 

Four of the six blocks of 2026 round that got bids, were single bids. The two blocks of 2025 round got multiple bids. 

Reliance was the sole bidder for two blocks in Chhattisgarh and Odisha (SR-ONHP (CBM)-2026/4 block in Mand-Raigarh coal field in Chhattisgarh and SR-ONHP(CBM)2026/5 block in IB Valley coal field in Odisha. It was in direct contest with EOGEPL for the PG-ONHP(CBM)-2026/5 block in Godavari Valley coal field in Telangana. 

EOGEPL was the sole bidder for PG-ONHP(CBM)-2026/3 block in Godavari Valley coal field in Telangana while state-owned Oil India Ltd (OIL) was the only bidder for SR-ONHP(CBM)-2026/1 CBM block of Singrauli coalfield in Madhya Pradesh. 

OIL and EOGEPL were locked for another block in the Singrauli coalfield of Madhya Pradesh. 

Two blocks in Singrauli coalfield of Madhya Pradesh, offered in 2025 round, got multiple bids -- EOGEPL, Prabha Energy, and a consortium of Oilmax Energy and SAS Infotech Pvt Ltd for one and OIL, EOGEPL, Oilmax-SAS Infotech and Invenire Petrodyne for the other. 

Prior to the 2025 and 2026 special CBM round, 33 blocks were awarded in four CBM bid rounds. However, most of them either have been relinquished or are under relinquishment due to low prospectivity. 

According to the DGH, total prognosticated CBM resource for awarded 33 CBM blocks was about 62.4 trillion cubic feet, of which, so far, 9.9 Tcf has been established as Gas in Place (GIP). 

Reliance currently produces gas from two CBM blocks in Madhya Pradesh while Essar's Raniganj East as well as Great Eastern Energy Corporation's (GEECL) Raniganj West block (both in West Bengal), too, have been put on production. 

CBM is seen as a way to curb India's dependence on imported natural gas by tapping domestic resources embedded in its vast coal reserves. 

India is the world's third-largest gas consumer but meets half of its demand through imports, including liquefied natural gas (LNG). Domestic gas output has struggled to keep pace with rising consumption from sectors such as power, fertilisers and city gas distribution. That gap has increased exposure to volatile global prices and supply risks. 

CBM offers an alternative because methane is already present in coal seams across major basins such as Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh. Unlike conventional gas exploration, CBM development leverages existing coal geology, potentially lowering geological risk. India has estimated CBM resources of over 2-3 trillion cubic meters, though only a fraction has been commercially developed so far. 

Policy support has also improved. The government has allowed pricing and marketing freedom for CBM producers, eased land and environmental clearances in some cases, and aligned CBM development with broader upstream reforms. These steps aim to attract investment and accelerate production.