Question : Discovered Small Oil Fields

(a) whether the Government has offered/allocated 149 discovered small and marginal idle/unexplored oil fields of ONGC and Oil India Limited (OIL) for auction/ stake sale to private/foreign companies in the first/second round of DSF policy;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the number of companies participated in the said auction in the first and second round and the quantum of oil and gas reserve identified by the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), company-wise;
(c) the total amount spent on discovery of the said oil fields by ONGC and OIL along with any proposal with the Government to allow said firms to seek revenue sharing partnership for its fields;
(d) whether DGH had identified 44 fields of ONGC which would help for bidders to increase the output over the baselines production for an initial period of 10 years and fixed parameters in this regard and if so, the details thereof;
(e) whether it is a fact that Government is reasoning that the areas where the fields discovered by ONGC were given to the state-owned firm on nomination basis and if so, the details thereof; and
(f) Whether the Government has announced new Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) and changed the revenue sharing model and marketing freedom for oil and gas produced from these fields with the private/foreign players and if so, the details thereof along with salient features of the new policy announced by the Government?

MINISTER IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS
(SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)
(a): With a view to increase domestic production of oil and gas, Government in May 2016 launched Discovered Small Field Bid Round I under which 67 discoveries of ONGC and
OIL which had not been put into production were offered for auction through International Competitive Bidding. The policy has now been extended to its second round to include 48 un-monetized discoveries of ONGC and OIL under DSF Bid Round II.
(b): Under DSF Bid Round-I, 47 companies participated in bidding process. The 67 discoveries under DSF Bid Round I are estimated to have in place reserves of 86 Million Metric Tonnes of oil and gas equivalent (MMToe). In DSF Bid Round-II, 48 discoveries of ONGC/OIL offered for bid are estimated to have in place reserves of 163.08 MMToe. The bid closing date under DSF Bid Round II is 18.12.2018.
(c): As informed by ONGC, an amount of Rs. 12,826 crore has been spent by ONGC on the discoveries/fields identified in the first and second round of Discovered Small Field Policy. An amount of Rs. 224.27 crore has been spent by OIL in this regard.
(d) and (e): No such fields have been identified by Government or DGH.
(f): The Government of India has notified the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) on 30th March, 2016 which is based on Revenue Sharing Model and a paradigm shift from Production Sharing Regime. The salient features of new Hydrocarbon Exploration & Licensing Policy (HELP) are:-
? Single License for conventional and unconventional Hydrocarbons.
? An Open Acreage Licensing Policy wherein investors can carve out the area of their interest and submit Expression of Interest throughout the year.
? Easy to administer Revenue Sharing Model.
? Marketing & pricing freedom for the crude oil & Natural gas.
? Zero royalty rates for deepwater and ultra deepwater blocks for first seven years.
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