9 cos in fray for 55 blocks under first OALP auction; Vedanta bids for all

RIL and global giants BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips stay away; govt receives 110 bids in all

Nine companies, including private players Vedanta, Sun Petrochemicals, Hindustan Oil Exploration Company and Selan Exploration Technology, have submitted bids in the first round of oil and gas auctions under the open acreage licensing policy (OALP). 

The government has received a total of 110 electronic bids, while Vedanta has submitted bids for all the 55 blocks on offer.

Global energy giants like BP, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and Chevron stayed away from the bidding, and the current round was also marked by the absence of  Reliance Industries. 

Public sector companies that submitted bids include Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), Oil India, Gail