Mansingh, a 1970-batch IAS officer from Gujarat cadre, was the number one choice for the post of chairman of PRB at the screening done by the Search Committee headed by Planning Commission Member (energy) Kirit Parikh, top officials said.
PNGRB, the oil regulator, which as per its enacting legislation has powers to levy fee, has levied a minimum tax of Rs 2 crore per annum on turnover that companies like GAIL and Reliance Industries earn from selling CNG to automobiles and piped natural gas to households and industries.
Currently, the gas pipelines have a capacity to transport 230 mmscmd of gas.
India could save $1 billion in crude oil imports annually if the country switches 10 per cent of its diesel usage in the transport sector to liquefied natural gas.
President A P J Abdul Kalam has given his assent to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act that envisages having a regulator for India's oil and gas sector, a petroleum ministry official said on Tuesday.
In a significant change to regulations, oil and gas regulator PNGRB has proposed a new policy of how tariffs for pipelines carrying gas to users will be determined, and proposed charging city gas entities selling CNG and piped cooking gas to households at the lowest rates.
The Mumbai Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Tuesday gave its approval to Vedanta Limited's demerger proposal, clearing the way for the group to reorganise its operations into five distinct, sector-specific entities.
Reliance Industries, India's largest company by market capitalisation, and GAIL India, the largest transporter and marketer of gas, have sought licences to sell natural gas to households and vehicles across 60 cities in India.
After months of a bitter row over legalities of Indraprastha Gas Ltd's operations in the National Capital Territory, the oil regulator has authorised the company to retail CNG (compressed natural gas) to automobiles and piped gas to households.
Board would start selling the bid documents on November 22.
Oil regulator PNGRB has virtually put Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on notice by inviting bids for sections of two natural gas pipelines that were previously awarded to the Mukesh Ambani-run firm.
India is growing fast, but to keep growing strong, the government must make more things at home, create jobs, and spend money wisely, suggests Rajiv Memani, regional managing partner, Africa-India Region, EY.
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Wednesday deferred the hearing on Vedanta Ltd's proposed demerger to September 17, as market regulator Sebi is yet to complete the scrutiny of the proposal, while the central government has raised certain objections. The matter, which was part-heard earlier, had been adjourned to August 20.
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has opposed the proposal of a new pipeline from Kakinada to Srikakulam floated by Andhra Pradesh Gas Infrastructure Corporation (APGIC). RIL has argued that gas availability for the pipeline is uncertain and will not contribute to the development of a national gas grid.
Tata Projects (Hyderabad), Tractebel Engineers and Constructors Pvt Ltd (New Delhi), Germanischer Lloyd Industrial Services (Mumbai) and Bureau Veritas (India), Pvt Ltd (Mumbai) are among the 13 agencies which will perform technical audit of city gas projects.
RFRL Group President A N Sethuraman on September 3 filed three separate applications with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board for licences to sell CNG to automobiles and piped gas to households in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad etc.
Reliance Gas, which had successfully bid for three cities -- Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh and Yanam in Pondicherry -- during the second round of bidding for CGD in 2009.
Two years after it was first constituted, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board continues to move ahead in a patchy manner -- it is inviting bids for 2,800 km of cross-country pipelines and 1,200 km of spurlines next week; it is in the process of fixing tariffs for the Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Gas Transportation India Limited pipeline. Its chairman L Mansingh spoke at length on several of these issues to Sunil Jain.
The petroleum ministry has put on back burner the proposal to create a national gas highway development authority, following an opposition from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, which currently has the powers to authorise pipelines.
Eight companies are in the fray for rolling out gas networks in six cities, bids for which were invited by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board. The deadline for submission of the bids expired on Tuesday.
Labayendu Mansingh, Chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, is an amicable yet tough man. In his 5 months as the petroleum & natural gas regulator, Mansingh announced to the oil & gas industry his intention of proving that the regulatory board is more than a toothless tiger. The board will come out with its first set of regulations, which will lay down rules for the distribution of gas to households, vehicles & industries in cities by middle of this month.
Rising energy demand could tilt India's energy basket towards fossil fuels from coal to oil, natural gas.
The government will set up an Appellate Tribunal to hear appeals regarding decisions of the proposed oil sector regulator, the bill for which is likely to be passed during the winter session of Parliament next month.
Concerns on lower natural gas transmission, LPG rate cut & APM gas price hike might be priced in but no positive triggers
The Petroleum Ministry has asked the oil regulator to look into the marketing margin charged by not just Reliance Industries, but also state-owned GAIL India Ltd on the sale of domestic gas and imported LNG.
The ministry in a letter dated May 15 overruled Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board's de-recognisation of Indraprastha Gas Ltd, saying IGL was government's authorised entity for city gas projects in Delhi, NOIDA, Gurgaon and Faridabad. PNGRB had asked IGL, the company owned by state-run GAIL and BPCL and Delhi Government that retail CNG to automobiles and piped natural gas to households in national capital region, to stop all incremental activities.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board in its July 2 order imposed a cost of Rs 100,000 on the three private fuel retailers who filed a complaint against Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum for indulging in 'restrictive and unfair trade practices and cartelisation'.
The private companies want a level playing field so that they can compete with the government companies in fuel retailing.
Oil regulator PNGRB has approved the tariff that billionaire Mukesh Ambani-owned East-West pipeline will charge for transporting gas from fields off the east coast to users.
State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and a joint venture of billionaire Gautam Adani's gas arm and Total of France -- Adani Total Gas Ltd -- have bid for maximum number of licenses to retail CNG to automobiles and piped cooking gas to households in the latest city gas bidding round.
The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity has admitted the OMCs' plea challenging the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board's power to adjudicate on the matter.
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.
Eight companies including Reliance Gas Ltd, GAIL Gas and the joint venture of Indian Oil and Adani Energy have bid for the rights to retail CNG in seven cities.
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