Reliance is seeking help from Shell to rectify glitches in D6 block in the Krishna-Godavari basin.
Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan have successfully managed to blow the lid off the 'crony capitalism' that is flourishing in the country today, and in the process delivered a crushing blow to the UPA government. Sheela Bhatt analyses
1,400 km pipeline will transport gas from KG basin to west coast.
Heavy rain in coastal Andhra Pradesh in the wake of Cyclone Laila has paralysed industrial activity in the state, including closure of oil rigs in the Krishna-Godavari Basin. Cargo handling at ports also suffered due to the incessant rain.
Kejriwal, whose group India Against Corruption, has won publicity in India by accusing ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra of taking part in shady dealings, said on Wednesday that Reliance has profited from cosy relationships with a string of government ministers.
The Bombay high court on Monday suggested that the warring Ambani brothers could approach an independent body to resolve their dispute relating to supply of natural gas from the Krishna-Godavari basin. "The MoU is not able to resolve the issue and we would suggest both the parties to approach an independent body for the same," observed justice J N Patel.
Videocon's Venugopal Dhoot has become the most successful maverick in oil and gas business in India.
RIL's KG basin started pumping gas in April and is currently producing 37-38 mscmd.
With the price of gas from its fields in the Krishna-Godavari basin expected to be higher than rivals, Reliance Industries is targeting automobiles and domestic users because power and fertiliser plants may not be able to afford it.
Besides Mukherjee and Deora, the EGoM would have power minister Sushilkumar Shinde, fertiliser minister M K Alagiri, law minister Veerappa Moily and Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
$5.2bn will be spent on gas production, while a larger chunk of $7bn on building gas pipes.
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries may tie up to build a common gas processing unit as the two firms have discovered huge reserves in the Krishna-Godavari basin
Sharp decline in production from flagship Krishna-Godavari basin has changed the business mix for the company.
He also described Moily as Mukesh Ambani's agent.
Britains' Cairn Energy has offered to sell its stake in two oil and gas blocks in Krishna Godavari basin to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation for $100 million and 15 per cent equity in state-run firm's two blocks.\n\n\n\n
The government will now examine the report and decide on how and to what extend should ONGC be compensated for its gas being produced by RIL.
ONGC is close to finalising a stake sale in two of its blocks -- one in the Krishna-Godavari basin and another in the Mahanadi basin -- to British Gas. It is also talking to US-based Noble Energy for offering it stake in some of its blocks in India. ONGC has already agreed to give a stake to Brazilian company Petrobras, Norwegian company Norskhydro and Italy-based ENI in its countrywide blocks.
After the controversy over pricing of gas from the Krishna-Godavari basin, the Ambani brothers are locked in another court battle.
In its first decision, the Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) on Wednesday cleared Reliance Industries' producing KG-D6 block and gas discovery area NEC-25 along with 3 other areas where the Defence Ministry had either barred oil and gas activity or put stringent conditions on that.
Burdened with loans of over Rs 12,000 crore, GSPC has made an investment of Rs 7,000 cr in E&P at the block in the KG basin.
In a free-wheeling interview with Jyoti Mukul, Sibal makes a case for his innocence and blames the media campaign by the Anil Ambani group for the current controversy.
The danger of a corporate capture of government isn't imaginary, and corporations represent narrow profit-seeking interests of businessmen whose forte is not Constitutional values, says Praful Bidwai.
It is expected to take a similar stand at the Mumbai and Delhi high courts, where Welspun Maxsteel, Ispat Industries and Essar Steel have challenged the petroleum ministry's decision to divert KG-D6s supply from steel and petrochemicals to power and fertiliser.
'It is very difficult to be an honest politician in a country where the system is absolutely corrupt. Jaipal Reddy is one up even on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is considered clean and honest. Reddy has gone a step ahead by playing an active role in stopping corruption. He has put things on record; he has walked the extra mile to ensure that public money is valued highly. One must recognise Reddy's efforts, and make it an example for India's younger generation.'
State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will shortly farm out nearly 26 per cent stake in its KG-DWN-2004/6 block in the Krishna-Godavari basin to Japan's Inpex Corporation.
The government-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Cairn India's partner in the Barmer block in Rajasthan, is closely scrutinising the stake sale in Cairn India by Cairn Energy.
The Cabinet on Thursday approved ONGC's proposal to acquire Cairn Energy's stake in two gas blocks for $135 million.
The company also said it has made three oil and gas discoveries in Krishna Godavari basin and Tripura.
Oil Ministry officials insisted that Defence Ministry cannot withdraw the clearance after 12 years of exploration.
Analysts say the company's petrochemical segment and higher other income would boost its revenues. On an average, brokerages expect RIL's net profit to rise 12-17 per cent compared with the year-ago period.
Lok Sabha MP Harsh Vardhan on July 23 wrote to Petroleum Minister Murli Deora asking why the government had kept quiet for all this while on the Ambani family MoU that provides for dividing Krishna-Godavari basin gas between companies run by brothers Mukesh and Anil.
The latest Ambani-sibling fight has now become a political battle.
The Samajwadi Party members stormed the well dissatisfied over the government's response to their demand for gas allocation to Anil Ambani-promoted Dadri power plant in Uttar Pradesh from the Mukesh Ambani-led RIL's D-6 gas field in the Krishna-Godavari basin.
DGH director general V K Sibal objected to Hardy, which holds 10 per cent stake in RIL-operated D3 and D9 blocks, making 'an unwarranted, unethical and premature announcement that is bound to mislead' and influence share price. Sibal on May 29 wrote to Securities and Exchange Board of India chairman C B Bhave asking the market regulator to take up with its counterpart in London the unauthorised statement made by Hardy about its assessment of reserves in the two blocks.
Reliance Industries is awaiting government approval for two gas discoveries it has made in the Krishna Godavari basin deep sea block, the company's junior partner Hardy Oil & Gas said.
The auditor said that it has unfettered right of access to all records of Reliance Industries (RIL) during its audit of operations in the Krishna-Godavari basin and would override any conditions sought to be imposed on the process.
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