India must broaden its vision of oil security which should go beyond increasing indigenous production, to cover arrangements with other nations for assured supplies of crude and gas Despite loud talk by successive Governments about increasing domestic production of oil and gas to make India self-sufficient in energy, we are producing less than 20 per cent of our requirement. The balance, over 80 per cent, continues to be imported. This heightens our vulnerability to a point whereby the slightest disruption in any of the major sources of imports (be it imposition of sanctions by the US against Iran or an attack on oil installations in Saudi Arabia) creates major ripples that have the potential to destabilise the country’s economy. The problem...
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Category: Dis-investment of PSUs
Strategic partnerships for oil security
Despite loud talk for decades by successive governments for increasing domestic production of oil and gas to make India self-sufficient in energy, we are producing less than 20% of our requirement – balance over 80% continues to be imported. This heightens our vulnerability to a point whereby a slight disruption in any of major source of our imports [be it imposition of sanctions by USA against Iran or attack on oil installations in Saudi Arabia] creates ripples and causes a major destabilizing effect on the Indian economy. The problem is not with lack of resources [India has 26 Sedimentary Basins covering an area of 3.14 million sq. km.] but lack of a conducive policy environment besides cumbersome regulatory processes which...
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Keep gas pricing formula-driven
On October 1, 2016, the Indian Government reduced the price of domestic gas by 18% to US$ 2.78 per million British thermal units [mBtu] on a net calorific value [NCV] basis. The public sector Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Oil India Limited raised a hue and cry saying this is even lower than their cost of production at US$ 3.59 per mBtu/US$ 3.06 per mBtu. They want a “floor” below which the price should not be allowed to go. Their demand is flawed. Under the guidelines for domestic gas pricing in vogue since November 1, 2014, the price of this gas was based on a weighted average of prices at four global locations viz., Henry Hub [USA], NBP [National...
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ONGC/OIL ‘unshackled’ – government must stay on course
For Oil and Natural Gas Corporation [ONGC] and Oil India Ltd [OIL] – central public sector undertakings [PSUs] in the business of oil and gas exploration and production, the year 2016-17 brings unprecedented cheer. The ministry of petroleum and natural gas [MPNG] has proposed that the government won’t be asking them to share the burden of subsidies on LPG and kerosene. To put things in perspective, a bit of background is in order. During 2004-2014, under directions from then government, ONGC and OIL offered discount on supply of crude to downstream oil PSUs viz., Indian Oil Corporation Limited [IOCL], Hindustan Petroleum Corporation [HPCL] and Bharat Petroleum Corporation [BPCL] to cover a portion of under-recoveries that latter incurred on sale of...
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Oil PSUs – ‘haemorrhage’ stops
For several decades, central public sector undertakings [CPSUs] in the downstream oil sector viz., Indian Oil Corporation Limited [IOCL], Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited [BPCL] and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited [HPCL] have enjoyed a virtual monopoly position in refining/production and marketing of petroleum products. Although, in the last around 2 decades, private sector players such as Reliance Industries Limited [RIL] and Essar Oil limited [EOL] have also emerged on the scene setting up refining capacity on a large-scale, the position of oil PSUs in the domestic market remains unchallenged. This was primarily because of a discriminatory policy and regulatory environment that not only erected entry barriers in marketing but also rendered their operations unviable. In this backdrop, while one would have...
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ONGC/OIL ‘freed’ from subsidy sharing
Given his DNA, viz., “nation first”; “clarity of vision”; “decisiveness” and “firmness”, prime minister, Modi has the capacity to transform his ideas in to action in a fairly quick time frame. This is especially true of subject matters that are entirely within the executive domain. One such subject matter relates to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation [ONGC] – a central public sector undertaking which is the single largest contributor to India’s oil and gas production and country is heavily dependent on it for taking its energy security mission forward. Modi has taken a far reaching policy decision to unshackle it from controls. Before, we dwell on the policy decision and what it has in store for the future of ONGC...
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OIL ECONOMICS AND POLITICS
The BJP must now stop the practice of asking oil companies to give discounts to downstream PSUs Presenting his first maiden Budget in July 2014, Union Minister for Finance Arun Jaitley had accepted the daunting challenge to retain the fiscal deficit target for 2014-15 at 4.1 per cent. On February 28, while presenting the Budget for 2015-16, he reported that the target had been achieved. However, this achievement was at the cost of massive reduction in plan expenditure from the Budget estimate of Rs5,75,000 crore to about Rs4,68,000 crore as per revised estimate, a fall of Rs1,07,000 crore. For this, one cannot blame the present Government as ,when it came to power, it had inherited a weak economy which resulted in...
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ONGC – no more ‘milching’ please
Presenting his first maiden budget in July 2014, finance minister Arun Jaitely had accepted a daunting challenge of 4.1% fiscal deficit for 2014-15. On February 28, 2015, while presenting budget for 2015-16, Jaitely reported that the target had been achieved. The achievement was at the cost of massive reduction in plan expenditure from budget estimate (BE) of Rs 575,000 crore to about Rs 468,000 crore as per revised estimate (RE), a fall of Rs 107,000 crore. For this, one can’t fault present government as it inherited a weak economy which resulted in equally massive drop in tax receipts from about Rs13,64,000 crore (BE) to Rs 1251,000 crores (RE), a fall of Rs 113,000 crores. During the last 9 months of...
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