The oil ministry is rejecting the monetisation of new discoveries as their production will not be viable at the present price of $4.2 per mmbtu
With domestic production of just over 140 million standard cubic meters per day meeting barely half the demand, India is importing 10 million tons of liquefied natural gas per annum and is looking at unconventional sources like shale gas.
Oil regulator PNGRB on Monday approved the tariff that Mukesh Ambani-owned East-West pipeline will charge for transporting gas from Reliance Industries' eastern offshore KG-D6 fields to users.
During hearing of the dispute over supply of gas by RIL to RNRL at $2.34 per mmBtu, the bench headed by chief justice K G Balakrishnan said the two parties could arrive at a 'suitable arrangement' through arbitration, as the Bombay high court that approved the Reliance empire's demerger cannot spell what is the ideal arrangement.
The latest Ambani-sibling fight has now become a political battle.
The government plans to more than double the price of natural gas produced by Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) to $4.20 per mmBtu, in a move that will help the state-run firm break even in gas business.
The government may subsidise costly imported gas by making users of cheaper domestic gas pay more under its unique plan to rationalise gas prices, a source in knowledge of the development said.
The government has appointed Spanish speciality consultancy firm, Mercados Energy Markets International, to examine possibility of a uniform domestic price of natural gas, which is now sold at rates ranging from $1 to $5.73 per mmBtu depending on source.
The gas price revision will add to the bottomline of the two public sector companies -- Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Oil India Ltd -- and will also yield additional revenue for the central and state governments.
In a surprise move, oil regulator DGH has asked Reliance Industries to include the marketing margin the company charges on sale of natural gas from its field to the approved gas price for calculating the government's share from the project.
The government may in 'weeks' decide on raising price of natural gas produced by state-owned ONGC and Oil India by 30 per cent, petroleum secretary S Sundareshan said on Monday.
The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs has approved a hike in gas prices from April 2014.
Replying to a calling-attention motion in Rajya Sabha, oil minister Murli Deora said the $4.2 per million British thermal unit price fixed for gas produced from KG-D6 fields of RIL was lower than the average of $5.51 per mmBtu charged by UK's BG-led consortium for Panna/Mukta and Tapti gas. It was also lower than the $4.3 per mmBtu price of gas produced from Cairn's Ravva Satellite fields and $4.75 per mmBtu for the UK firm's Lakshmi fields.
If approved, gas price will rise to $6.775 per million British thermal unit from $4.2 currently.
The high court is hearing a dispute between Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries and Anil Ambani's Reliance Natural Resources over a gas sale agreement, in which the government has intervened. NTPC has filed a separate suit against RIL, seeking that RIL execute the contract of gas supply.
A division bench of Justices J N Patel and K K Tated said that the new agreement should be as per the memorandum of understanding between the Ambani brothers Mukesh and Anil. The MoU stipulates that RIL would supply 28 mmscmd of gas to RNRL for 17 years at the rate of $2.43 per million British Thermal Units.
State power utility NTPC Ltd will not lose any money even if it was to get natural gas at prices higher than those committed by Reliance Industries five years ago, the Power Ministry has told the committee on public undertakings.
Anil Ambani-promoted Reliance Natural Resources has filed an affidavit in the Bombay High Court in the case involving Reliance Industries, refuting the petroleum ministry's stand that the government-approved price of $4.2/million metric British thermal unit (mmBtu) is the selling price of gas.
The quantities and price of $4.2 per mmBtu for gas under the GSPAs signed for five years are as approved by the government.
India cannot afford to let lower natural gas price of $2.34 per mmBtu prevail as the rate will hinder development of a natural gas industry in the country, US-based Bernstein Research said in a latest report.
On July 27, power ministry had written to the oil ministry saying 'the marketing margin being charged by RIL is not in line with the decisions of an empowered group of ministers on pricing formula (for KG-D6 gas)'. While Anil Ambani Group firm RNRL on Sunday alleged that RIL was charging 'unauthorised' marketing margin, 35 firms buying KG-D6 gas are paying the $0.135 per mmBtu to RIL without protest.
State-run NTPC Ltd is likely to sign by month-end an agreement to buy natural gas allocated by the Centre from Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Industries Ltd at government-approved rate of $4.20 per mmBtu, power secretary H S Brahma said on Wednesday.
The interlocutory application filed on Tuesday made it clear that $4.20 per mmBtu price approved by the government for RIL's KG-D6 gas was without prejudice to the state-run firm's case seeking the fuel from the Mukesh Ambani-run company at $2.34 per mmBtu price committed in 2004.
In the face of oil minister's comment that Reliance Industries Ltd gas to NTPC could be given at a government-approved price, the state-owned power major on Saturday said it will continue to fight legally for the fuel's contracted price and seek power ministry's help.
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries on Friday said it may sell gas from its KG-D6 fields to RNRL at $4.20 per mmBtu if the government allocates fuel to the Anil Ambani Group firm.
The Supreme Court on Friday granted six weeks time to Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) to respond to the final CAG report which found alleged irregularities including in payments made to the contractors on drilling of D6 wells at the Krishna-Godavari basin.
Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Industries on Saturday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay high court judgement that asked it to supply gas to Anil Ambani Group's firm RNRL at a price of $2.34 per mmbtu.
Petroleum secretary RS Pandey declined to comment on the court verdict till the Government received a copy of the order. The Bombay high court on Monday upheld Anil Ambani group firm Reliance Natural Resources Ltd's contention to buy 28 mscmd of gas from Reliance Industries Ltd at USD 2.34 per mmBtu for 17 years.
The Union government today filed a fresh affidavit in the Bombay high court, which is hearing a dispute over supply of gas from Krishna Godavari basin, stating that any sale price less than $ 4.2 per mmBtu is not compatible with decisions taken by a ministerial panel.
The Bombay high court has modified the interim order on the sale of KG basin gas by Reliance Industries.
Abolition of import duty on naphtha under the government's stimulus package has come as a much-awaited breather for power projects running on dual-fuel.
Irked by the response of Reliance Industries on resolving an issue coming in the way of the gas contract, power PSU NTPC on Friday said it is talking to Mukesh Ambani led company to lift fuel alloted by the government.
Reliance Industries has said that it had in December 2005 signed a contract to sell natural gas to NTPC at $2.34 per mmBtu price for 17 years, but it was the state-run firm that did not reciprocate.
The Election Commission asked the government to defer announcement of the new price till completion of the polls and so RIL was asked to continue selling the gas at old rates.
Sunil Jain explains why the government does not necessarily win if it applies a higher gas price.
The petroleum ministry has prepared a draft Cabinet note for raising prices of natural gas produced by ONGC from fields given to it on nomination basis to Rs 3,765 per thousand cubic metres (or $1.98 per million British thermal unit) from current Rs 3,200 per thousand cubic meter ($1.68 per mmBtu). For OIL, the gas price has been proposed at Rs 4,205 per thousand cubic meters, a senior ministry official said.
Hike would have led to higher cost of fertiliser, electricity and even CNG.
The 30-share Sensex ended up 1 point at 27,459 and the 50-share Nifty ended down 1 point at 8,341.
Many stalled projects are about to get going again, providing potential relief to banks, says T N Ninan.
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