Petroleum definition changed for uniformity in operations: Government

The move will open up more revenue opportunities for many of the 117 companies that were operating in India after the conclusion of the ninth round of NELP

Further easing the oil and gas exploration norms in India, the government has now redefined 'petroleum', thereby giving operators the option to explore all hydrocarbons -- including traditional oil and gas, shale, coal bed methane and hydrates -- in the same field.  

In a notification dated July 24 amending the Petroleum and Natural Gas Rules of 1959, the ministry of petroleum and natural gas said that petroleum means "naturally occurring hydrocarbon in the in the form of natural gas or in a liquid, viscous or solid form, or a mixture thereof." However, it will not include coal, lignite and helium