Oil India Secures CBM Block in Singrauli
Oil India has signed a coal-bed methane (CBM) exploration contract covering a 272 sq km block in Singrauli, as reported by ANI News on 18 October 2026. No contract value was disclosed in the available reporting. The Singrauli region, which straddles the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh border, is known for its significant coal deposits, making it a natural candidate for CBM prospecting. No further details on timelines, sub-contractors or scope breakdown were available at the time of publication.
Contract at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Promoter / Explorer | Oil India Limited |
| Contract Type | Coal-bed methane exploration |
| Block Area | 272 sq km |
| Location | Singrauli |
| Contract Value | Not disclosed |
| Reported by | ANI News, 18 October 2026 |
Oil India's Broader Exploration Footprint
The Singrauli contract extends Oil India's already active upstream presence across multiple states. Projects India tracks several existing Oil India ventures, including petroleum exploration projects in Assam and in the KG Basin offshore, an oil exploration project in Bikaner, Ganganagar and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan valued at Rs 75 crore, and an onshore oil and gas exploration project at South Baghewala, Bikaner, also in Rajasthan at Rs 75 crore. The company is also developing an LPG bottling plant at Umium Village in Ri Bhoi, Meghalaya, valued at Rs 73.98 crore.
For further context on Oil India's capital expenditure direction, see the related story: Oil India Plans Rs 15,000 Crore Deepwater Exploration Capex Over Three Years.
Where Petroleum Oil and Gas Projects Are Concentrated in India
The Singrauli contract enters a sub-sector that Projects India tracks across 1,338 live petroleum oil and gas projects, with 40 new projects added in the last 90 days alone. The geographic spread of these projects points clearly to where activity — and therefore procurement opportunity — is densest.
Maharashtra leads with 262 tracked projects, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 205 and Gujarat at 191. Madhya Pradesh, the state in which Singrauli falls, accounts for 91 tracked projects, placing it fourth nationally. Andhra Pradesh has 73 and Assam 67. Suppliers targeting this sub-sector should note that both Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh — the two states that share the Singrauli region — together account for nearly 300 of the 1,338 tracked projects, representing a substantial concentration of near-term activity.
Stage Breakdown: Where Projects Stand in the Pipeline
Of the 1,338 tracked projects in the sub-sector, 549 are currently Under Approvals — the single largest cohort — indicating a heavy pipeline of projects that have not yet moved to construction. A further 247 are at the Planning stage. Construction has started on 323 projects, while 74 have received approvals and are positioned to move forward. Forty-nine projects are recorded as Completed, and 43 are on Hold.
For suppliers, this distribution signals that the bulk of procurement decisions in the petroleum oil and gas sub-sector are still ahead. Projects at the Under Approvals and Approvals Received stages — totalling 623 — represent the window in which early supplier engagement is most effective. The Mining Projects sector overview provides additional context on the broader pipeline within which CBM and petroleum exploration sit.
What this means for suppliers and contractors
The Singrauli CBM contract is an early-stage exploration award, meaning the immediate procurement activity will be oriented towards survey, drilling equipment and specialist exploration services rather than large-scale construction contracts. Suppliers of drilling rigs, wellhead equipment, logging tools and geophysical services should note the block's 272 sq km extent as an indicator of prospecting scale.
More broadly, the concentration of 296 tracked petroleum oil and gas projects across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh — the two states bordering Singrauli — underlines that this corridor is an active procurement geography. With 549 projects nationally sitting at the Under Approvals stage, suppliers would benefit from monitoring the pipeline closely as regulatory clearances convert into tendered scopes. There are currently no open India tenders in Mining Projects recorded in the Projects India database, but that position can shift quickly as projects clear approvals. Readers can monitor live opportunities at the Projects India tenders page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Oil India coal-bed methane contract in Singrauli about?
Oil India signed a coal-bed methane exploration contract for a 272 sq km block in Singrauli, as reported by ANI News on 18 October 2026. No contract value was disclosed. The deal adds a new CBM asset to Oil India's existing multi-state upstream exploration portfolio.
Where is the Singrauli CBM block located?
The block is located in Singrauli, a region that straddles Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh alone accounts for 91 petroleum oil and gas projects tracked by Projects India, placing it among the more active states in the sub-sector.
How many petroleum oil and gas projects are tracked in India?
Projects India currently tracks 1,338 live petroleum oil and gas projects across India, with 40 new projects added in the last 90 days. Maharashtra leads with 262 projects, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 205 and Gujarat at 191.
