The Indian government has revised its natural gas allocation priorities, placing LPG production alongside CNG and piped cooking gas at the top, due to disruptions in imported gas supplies caused by the conflict in West Asia.
While most analysts are expecting poor results from oil marketing companies (OMCs) in the first quarter of 2024-25 (Q1FY25) and even in the first half (H1) of FY25, GAIL (India) could be an outlier. Upstream producers, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India (OIL) could do well due to strong crude and gas prices, but refiners are likely to see weak margins and the impact of frozen prices during the election period will also be negative.
Most CNG pumps, including those operated by Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL), saw long queues from early morning, particularly of black-yellow taxis and autorickshaws, with several drivers reporting wait times of three to four hours, compared to the usual 15 to 30 minutes.
A joint venture agreement between GAIL (India) Limited and China Gas Holdings Limited to foray into natural gas
GAIL (India) Limited on Thursday signed three sweeping memoranda of understanding with as many Chinese companies in the oil and gas sector in both countries
The government has slashed by up to a fifth the supplies of cheaper gas to city gas entities that retail CNG to automobiles, increasing their dependence in costly imported fuel. Buying costly imported gas to make up for the shortfall should result in a hike in CNG price but given the ensuing assembly elections in Maharashtra, that may be put off for now. Indraprastha Gas Ltd and Mahanagar Gas Ltd in regulatory filings stated that supplies of domestically produced gas, which was available at a capped rate which is half of the imported price, has been cut.
GAIL India Ltd on Wednesday said it plans to acquire a small or medium sized exploration and production company.
The government has slashed by up to 20 per cent the supplies of cheaper domestically produced natural gas to city retailers -- a move that may result in Rs 4-6 per kg hike in the price of CNG sold to automobiles, unless excise duty on the fuel is cut, sources said. Natural gas pumped from below the ground and from under the seabed from sites ranging from the Arabian Sea to Bay of Bengal within India is the raw material that is turned into CNG for sale to automobiles and piped cooking gas to households.
NTPC Ltd and GAIL India Ltd may have to pump in more money into the Dabhol power plant after an official panel monitoring the progress of the beleaguered project decided to limit lenders' commitment to Rs 455 crore (Rs 4.55 billion).
'Those betting against PSUs will likely be punished in this upswing.'
The government has slashed allocation of natural gas used for LPG production, and diverted the low-priced fuel to city gas retailers like Indraprastha Gas Ltd and Adani-Total Gas Ltd to meet a part of their requirement for CNG/piped cooking gas supplies, according an official order. The government had in October and November last year cut supplies of low-priced natural gas coming from old fields such as Mumbai High and Bassein fields in the Bay of Bengal, to city gas retailers by as much as 40 per cent in view of limited output.
"Earlier, India was a land of snake charmers. Now, Americans perceive Indians to be very smart. The infotech revolution changed it all," says FICCI Secretary-General Amit Mitra.
After ONGC and IFFCO, state-run gas firm GAIL on Tuesday said it would bid for acquiring controlling stake in oil refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corporation if it was permitted by the government policy.
Replying to a special calling attention motion on the issue by opposition parties, including DMK, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said her government would not encourage projects affecting people's welfare.
While two of the labourers died instantly, one succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital. The place of attack was only 2 km away from the Assam-Agartala National Highway.
Delhi's power problems could go for a toss if Gas Sales Agreement that GAIL (India) Limited has inked with Pragati Power Corporation Limited to supply 2 MMSCMD of R-LNG becomes operational. The peak demand for electricity in Delhi is slated to grow from the current 4100 MW to 5630 MW in 2010 as per the estimation of Central Electricity Authority.
ONGC will continue as the operator of the deepwater block, KG-DWN-2004/6 with a 34 per cent participating interest in consortium with existing partners GAIL (India) Limited, Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Oil India Limited.
Steel baron L N Mittal and French oil major Total on Thursday signed an agreement with state-run HPCL for jointly setting up a $6 billion refinery-cum petrochemical complex at Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. State-run gas utility Gail India and exploration firm Oil India Limited are the other stakeholders in the proposed 15 million tonne refinery and one million tonne petrochemical complex.
With two more persons succumbing to their burn injuries on Sunday, the toll in Friday's deadly fire-blast, apparently caused by leakage from a GAIL gas pipeline in Nagaram, Andhra Pradesh, rose to 19 even as the condition of at least three others remains critical, police said.
Russia has defaulted on the supply of at least 5 cargoes or shiploads of LNG to India after its retaliatory sanctions hit one of the companies that supply gas to India, sources said. India's largest gas firm GAIL has a long-term deal to import 2.85 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per annum from a Singapore-based unit of Russian gas producer Gazprom. The company has since June defaulted on the supply of 5 cargoes of LNG under that contract citing difficulty in sourcing gas due to sanctions, two sources briefed on the matter said.
The toll in the deadly blast and fire, apparently caused by leakage from a Gas Authority of India Limited gas pipeline, on Saturday rose to 17, even as Andhra Pradesh police registered a case of negligence against the state-run firm.
At least 8 people have died after a blast ripped through the Gas Authority of India Limited site at Nagaram village in Andhra Pradesh.
Delhi-based Shubham Chakraborty, 32, a management graduate from XLRI, Jamshedpur, tells us how he fought anxiety and stress due to poor workplace management.
As India's electricity demand soars, the power ministry on Tuesday reviewed the power supply situation to ensure 'zero load shedding' during the summer months. The ministry has drafted plans ranging from delaying planned maintenance of thermal power stations to mandatory operations of imported coal-based and gas-based stations till September. In a series of meetings with industry stakeholders, Union Minister for Power, New, and Renewable Energy R K Singh emphasised the importance of adequate planning to avoid situations where one state has surplus power while another state faces shortages.
Escalation of the conflict in West Asia between Israel and Iran has had a direct impact on the energy markets, and more broadly on the financial markets as well as the global economy.
Though ONGC and OIL are major producers of natural gas, they currently have no presence in its retailing and marketing, a field dominated by GAIL and its joint ventures.
The Centre-appointed committee on Saturday launched its probe into the Gas Authority of India Limited pipeline fire tragedy in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh that has claimed 16 lives.
Named "HomoSEP", ten units are planned to be deployed across Tamil Nadu and the researchers are in touch with sanitation workers to identify the locations, officials said.
The deployment of the special forces, however, will come at a cost for the industrial houses and tea companies. They will have to pay to utilise the services of the special government security forces that will operate under the state director general of civil defence and home guards.
Ajit Mishra, vice president, Research, Religare Broking, answers readers' queries on stocks they own or want to buy.
The dreary, cold months from December to February may prove to be the undoing of many a nation as they grapple with sky-high fuel prices - a result of the Ukraine conflict and the pandemic. Many - Europe, South Korea, Japan, and China - will still pull through on the strength of their wealth or because of strong storage infrastructure. But India will have its back to the wall. Signs of liquefied natural gas (LNG) rates hitting new records this winter are already evident.
The public issue of 8.4 crore shares, which closed on Friday, was over-subscribed by 9.28 times, sources associated with the process said.
Ajit Mishra, vice president, Research, Religare Broking, answers your queries.
Ajit Mishra, vice president, Research, Religare Broking, answers your queries.
Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have communicated to the telecom department that they will not pay AGR dues of Rs 88,624 crore, the deadline for which ended on Thursday, and will wait for the outcome of modification petition listed for hearing before the Supreme Court next week, according to official sources. Reliance Jio on Thursday paid Rs 195 crore to the telecom department to clear all adjusted gross revenue dues accounted till January 31, 2020, according to an official source.
Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday raised the rating outlook for 18 Indian corporates and banks, including Reliance Industries, Infosys, SBI and Axis Bank, to 'stable' from 'negative'. This follows the upgrade by the US-based rating agency in India's sovereign rating outlook to 'stable' from 'negative' on Tuesday. The agency had affirmed the sovereign rating at 'Baa3'.
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