The central government has offered 15 blocks for extracting gas from coal bed methane (CBM) in the first bidding round in over a decade.
The blocks are located in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The bids under the special CBM bid round-2021 are due on February 20, 2022. The maximum number of five CBM blocks have been offered in Madhya Pradesh, and two blocks each in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha. Three blocks are on offer in Chhattisgarh and one in West Bengal. The last round was held in 2010. The government has awarded 29 CBM blocks in the previous four rounds of bidding.