RIL expects oil and gas sales from the Krishna-Godavari basin to boost its revenues and profits significantly. The company started test production of oil from the basin around 10 days ago. The cost of production per barrel of oil is not known. RIL's share price on the Bombay Stock Exchange has fallen 9.3 per cent in the last month as world markets have tumbled on fears of an economic crisis.
Reliance's entry into the club of integrated energy majors, courtesy the start of oil production in the Krishna-Godavari basin, marks a strategic inflection point for India, as it comes some three decades after the last major find at Bombay High went into production.
Reliance Industries will account for about 40 per cent of the country's energy production in the next 18 to 24 months, putting the company on track to earn a quarter of its profit from oil and gas production, from 5 per cent now.
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.
Reliance Industries found huge natural gas reserves in the very first well it drilled, which subsequently proved to be the world's second largest deepwater discovery in the last decade.
$5.2bn will be spent on gas production, while a larger chunk of $7bn on building gas pipes.
Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Energy has approached state-owned gas utility GAIL (India) Ltd for transportation of gas to its proposed 4,000 MW power plant at Dadri.
Reliance Industries, which has discovered gas reserves of nearly 14 trillion cubic feet in the Krishna-Godavari basin off the coast of Andhra Pradesh, is building a gas-receiving jetty in Kakinada.
Reliance Industries Ltd has found new natural gas reserves in Krishna Godavari basin D6 block off the east coast, the company's minority partner Niko Resources has said.
The fuel from the KG basin will prune Rs 114,000 crore (Rs 1,140 billion) from the country's import bill. The price of $4.2 per million British thermal unit (mBtu) approved by the government for selling gas implies potential savings of about Rs 85,000 crore (Rs 850 billion) for consumers, said Ambani. Ambani's statement on gas pricing comes even as the government is considering a revision of the floor price of $4.2 mBtu that was approved in September 2007.
India's east coast is emerging as one of the hydrocarbon hotspots in the world with 100 trillion cubic feet of gas and two billion barrels of oil in place.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation lans to invest around Rs 6,000 crore (Rs 60 billion) in the exploration and production business over the next few years.
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
In an attempt to hold on to its exploration blocks in the Krishna-Godavari basin, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation is in talks with British Gas (BG) and British Petroleum (BP) for joint exploration in four offshore blocks in the region.
Reliance Industries Ltd will invest $8.84 billion in producing 80 million standard cubic meters per day (mmscmd) of gas from its KG-D6 block in Krishna Godavari basin.
1,400 km pipeline will transport gas from KG basin to west coast.
On April 29, the Bombay High Court will start hearing the case between the warring companies, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and Reliance Natural Resources Ltd (RNRL), to reach a quick decision on who will get access to the huge volumes of gas to be produced from RIL's block in the Krishna-Godavari basin. The court will also decide if the central government will be admitted as a party to the case. RNRL would oppose the central government's move to become a party to the case.
RIL on Monday submitted a commerciality report for the Dhirubhai-39 discovery in block KG-DWN-2003/1, about 50 km off Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh, to the oil ministry and the directorate general of hydrocarbons. A company official said the well KG-V-D3-A1 flowed 38.1 million cubic feet per day of gas and the find was later named Dhirubhai-39.
\nRIL had earlier proposed investment of $2.47 billion to produce 40 mmscmd for 7.5 years from discoveries -- Dhirubhai 1 and 3 (in the D6 block) -- out of a total 34 wells.
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.
Reliance in the first phase is developing Dhirubhai-1 and 3, the first two of the 15 discoveries in the 7,645-square- kilometre KG-D6 block. Initial output is likely to be 40 million standard cubic meters per day (mmscmd), which will rise to 60 mmscmd in 2009-10.
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation said on Wednesday it will begin production from its ultra deep sea gas discovery in the Krishna-Godavari basin off the east coast by 2012-13.
The fertiliser and power companies say that the cost of gas would be too high, making operating on gas economically unviable.
Reliance Industries on Wednesday assailed reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General and expert P Gopalakrishnan, which have alleged the company got undue benefits pertaining to Krishna-Godavari basin gas and its pricing.
Higher price will lead to hike in fertiliser subsidy while a lower price will hit returns.
Reliance Industries Ltd, which recently demerged its overseas oil and gas projects, is debating hiving off its giant Krishna-Godavari gas field, but ruled out talks for inducting US energy major Chevron as equity partner.
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has discovered natural gas reserves in Krishna Godavari basin off the Andhra coast, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dinsha Patel said on Tuesday.
Reliance Industries Ltd has discovered huge oil reserves in its gas-rich D6 block in Krishna Godavari basin off the east coast, its minority partner Niko Resources of Canada has said.
Reliance Industries may sell one-fourth of the 40 million standard cubic metres per day of natural gas production likely from its gigantic Krishna Godavari field off the Andhra coast to Dabhol Power project in Maharashtra after its revival.
RIL has raised the marketing margin to $0.15 per million British thermal unit from $0.12 per mmBtu earlier, a source said. The rate, which would be charged over the $4.20 per million British thermal unit base gas price, is however lower than the $0.18 per mmBtu margin charged by state-run GAIL. The increase, he said, was due to the additional risk of 'ship-or-pay,' an obligation under which the company would be obliged to transport the committed volumes or pay for the gas.
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