With no concrete steps to move away from fossil fuels, are countries really serious about net zero commitments? Climate activists protest against fossil fuels at Dubai’s Expo City during the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai.Credit: Reuters Photo The recently concluded 2023 United Nations Conference of the Parties (CoP28) in Dubai has pledged to “transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly, and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with science.” ‘Net zero’ refers to a scenario in which the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere equals their removal. In the past, indiscriminate and excessive use of fossil fuels, a generic term...
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Category: Oil & Gas
COP28: High on rhetoric, less on action
The COP 28 offers no credible action. On meeting the ‘funding gap’, save a token amount for Loss and Damage Fund (LaDF), there was nothing to show The just concluded 2023 United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP28), in Dubai, has pledged to “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science”. The ‘net zero’ refers to a scenario wherein the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere equals their removal. Historically ‘indiscriminate’ and ‘excessive’ use of fossil fuels – a generic term for major fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas – mostly by...
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G7 sanctions slip through the cracks
Russia is the third-largest producer of crude oil, with over 12 per cent of global crude production, and the second-largest exporter after Saudi Arabia. An oil and gas industry worker walks during operations of a drilling rig at Zhetybay field in the Mangystau region, Kazakhstan. Credit: Reuters Photo The reports of the US Treasury Department imposing sanctions on two ship owners in October 2023 for allegedly transporting Russian oil at $75 and $80 per barrel, while relying on US-connected service providers, demonstrate a feeble attempt to achieve the lofty goal set by the G7 in mid-2022. The group, consisting of the United States, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada, and Japan, aimed to punish Russia for its military actions against Ukraine by...
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Sanctions on Russia are counterproductive
In a globally interdependent world, actions that severely restrict the flow of goods and services across national boundaries are bound to be counter-productive In a bid to punish Russia for its military action against Ukraine, in June 2022, leaders of G7 viz., the United States, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Japan had vowed to explore the feasibility of measures to bar imports of Russian oil at price above a certain level. In September 2022, their finance ministers (FMs) said: “We confirm our joint political intention to finalise and implement a comprehensive prohibition of services, which enable maritime transportation of Russian-origin crude oil and petroleum products globally. Providing those services would only be allowed if the oil and petroleum products...
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Regulatory boost to self-sufficiency in energy
Modi Government is giving considerable policy support for the exploration of hydrocarbons so that investors can earn assured return on their investments Delivering the 75th Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the country a target to achieve self-reliance in energy production by boosting the gas-based economy (besides giving a push to electric mobility and hydrogen production). Modi wants the share of natural gas (NG) in the total energy mix to go up from the current around 6 per cent to 15 per cent. Currently, India imports 50 per cent of its NG requirement. This is because domestic production is hovering around a low of 28.6 – 34 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2020-21 to 2021-22 (down from a...
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LPG subsidy will hurt the exchequer
The price cut especially for non-ujjwala beneficiaries was avoidable. It will serve no purpose and will be a drain on already strained oil companies For several decades, it has been a common practice for governments to make decisions based on political expediency ignoring economic considerations. The incumbent Modi – dispensation has tried to change this practice but he too has fallen back to business as usual. One such area is the LPG subsidy. On August 29, 2023, the Union Cabinet approved a reduction in the price of domestic cooking gas by Rs 200 per cylinder (14.2 kg) effective from August 30, 2023. De jure, the price of LPG is deregulated. How could the government decide on it? The reason is...
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More reforms are needed to attract serious investment in oil & gas
Measures taken by the government recently will remove some impediments holding back investment in exploration and production. Pricing and marketing of produce also need to be unshackled Despite offering an attractive policy environment under the New Exploration and Licensing Policy (NELP) and the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP), also known as the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP), exploration and production (E&P) of oil and gas hasn’t picked up on the required scale. A major bottleneck has been regulatory hurdles which the government is now trying to address. Three important measures have been implemented by the Union government in recent times to remove regulatory and procedural hurdles faced by E&P companies. One, 0.67 million sq km sedimentary basin lying offshore,...
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New gas pipeline tariff is flawed
There is no harm in helping areas at a locational disadvantage. But the problem arises when it is done using the tariff mechanism Under the zone-wise unified tariff for natural gas (NG) pipelines effective from April 1, 2023, and announced by the downstream regulator Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), consumers will pay a uniform charge for transportation of NG within a tariff zone irrespective of their location. There are three tariff zones defined as per the distance from the gas source — up to 300 km, 300-1,200 km and greater than 1,200 km. This is a drastic shift from the extant system of tariff determination under which they pay different tariffs depending on the pipeline operator with whom they...
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Has the government shelved reforms in gas pricing?
The revision of the gas pricing formula is in line with the recommendations of the Kirit Parikh committee but the government is silent on deregulating prices from 2027 The shift to link the price of natural gas with the crude oil price is unwarranted as natural gas is not a replacement for crude oil. The government made two significant changes in the revised pricing policy for domestic natural gas produced from legacy fields. One, it linked the price of natural gas to the basket of Indian crude oil instead gas prices at global hubs. Two, it introduced the concept of a price band. Legacy fields are nomination fields, blocks given under New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) and pre-NELP blocks. It...
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Banish those thoughts of LPG subsidy ending in the near term
LPG subsidy is here to stay notwithstanding proclamations by successive governments to end it. This is because actions on the ground are driven by populism, not economics Subsidy on LPG is the excess of its cost of supply over the price paid by the beneficiary. (Representative image) In the Union Budget for 2023-24, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has kept the budget estimate (BE) for petroleum subsidy – primarily subsidy on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for household consumption – for 2023-24 at a mere Rs 2,257 crore. The subsidy on the purchase of a product is a financial assistance given by the state to persons who cannot afford to pay the market-based or cost-plus price. Subsidy on LPG is the excess...
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