New Delhi, July 23 -- State-owned Oil India Ltd is in talks with global exploration and production (E&P) majors, including ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies and Petrobras, to jointly explore hydrocarbon blocks in India, said two people in the know of the developments.

Oil India's one-on-one talks with these companies are largely focused on a possible partnership for the 10th round of auctions under the country's Open Average Licensing Policy (OALP-X). In this round, the government plans to offer 2.5 lakh sq. km. area for exploration.

The OALP-X round was launched in February and the deadline for submission of bids is 31 July. According to one of the people cited above, there is likelihood of an extension of the deadline.

"Talks are underway wi...