Oil & Natural Gas: News & Discussion - VI

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SSridhar
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Post by SSridhar »

TSP proposes a separate gas pipeline but Iran wants to wait for India

TSP is beginning to feel the squeeze. It badly needs gas especially during winter when its big hydroelectric power projects in Tarbela, Mangla, Ghazi Brotha generate next to nothing. There are no big thermal power projects to name. Several gas-based IPPs have shut down recently due to non-availability of gas and there is a severe power shortage.
Islamabad has told Tehran that Iran-to-Pakistan gas pipeline should be pursued as a stand-alone and independent project in case India is not ready to join it, it is learnt.

Iran has agreed to the proposal but has expressed its desire to give India a chance to join the project to ensure a bigger market and reduce overall cost of the project, sources said.

The studies suggest that Pakistan's gas shortfall will start from 400mmcfd (million cubic feet of gas per day) by 2010 {about 11 MMSCMD} and increase to about 4bcfd (billion cubic feet of gas per day) by 2025 because country's economy was poised to grow at a rate of seven per cent by the end of the current fiscal year.

Iran has indicated a price at the Pakistan border at $2 per mmbtu which Pakistan understands could be negotiated to a reasonable level.
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Post by Vasu »

OVL plans $2bn bid for 15% in Yukos unit
ONGC Videsh has sought government permission to acquire a 15 per cent stake in Yuganskneftegas, the main production unit of Yukos, in Russia. The Indian company is willing to shell out up to $2 billion for the asset.

If the deal goes through, it will be the biggest acquisition by an Indian company. ONGC Videsh bought a 20 per cent stake in the offshore Sakhalin-1 exploration project led by Exxon-Mobil for $1.7 billion in 2001.

Yuganskneftegas was recently acquired by state-owned Rosneft for $9.4 billion. ONGC Videsh earlier wanted to tie up with Gazprom, another Russian government-owned entity, which dropped out of the race at the last minute.

ONGC Videsh has made a case for speeding up government clearances as some Chinese oil majors have also shown interest in Yuganskneftegas. Russia's Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko had said recently that 20 per cent of Yuganskneftegas could be offered to China National Petroleum Company.
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Post by arun »

Iran quotes higher price for LNG:

New Delhi, Jan. 6 (PTI): Iran has changed its pricing formulae for liquefied natural gas (LNG) sale to India and is demanding 28 cents more per million British thermal unit (MBTU).

Iran is demanding about a dollar more than India’s offer of a fixed price of $2.4 per MBTU for importing 5 million tonnes per annum of LNG from Iran for 25 years, senior officials said.

The two sides have not been able to finalise the oil-field-for-LNG deal for more than a year now because of the deadlock over price. Petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyar will discuss the issue when he meets his Iranian counterpart tomorrow, they said.

The FoB price per MBTU demanded by Iranians was $0.92 plus 0.065 of annual Brent crude average ($0.92+ 0.065 per cent of Brent crude average). India’s position was $0.92 plus 0.04 of annual Brent average.

But later, Tehran hiked the price, changing their formula to $1.2 plus 0.065 of Brent. “India has refused to accept the new price formula, though it has agreed an escalation of 2 per cent per annum on the fixed price component after the first year of operation,” officials said.

Aiyar will try and break the deadlock at tomorrow’s meeting with Iranian oil minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, they said. Tehran was to give India a 20 per cent share in the development of its biggest onshore oilfield, Yadavaran, as part of its plans to sell 5 million tonnes of LNG.

Iran was also offering Indian firms a stake in the Jofeir oilfield if India purchases an additional 2.5 million tonnes of LNG annually. Yadavaran has a potential to produce 300,000 barrels per day, while Jofeir can produce 30,000-40,000 barrels per day............................
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Post by Uttam »

I saw a ticker on CNN this morning about India and Iran signing a LNG deal worth $40 Billion, and India getting Iranian oil fields to develop.

Any Confirmation?
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Post by arun »

Confirmed.

India signs agreement with Iran to import LNG
Jan 7, 2005 04:29:00 PM


New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) Energy-hungry India today signed an agreement to import 7.5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas from Iran from 2009 under an oilfield-for-LNG deal where Tehran will also give Indian firms developmental rights in two producing oil fields.

Iran would sell the LNG to India at a price linked to Brent crude oil. As per the formula, New Delhi would pay 1.2 dollars plus 0.065 of Brent crude average. However, Brent price would have an upper ceiling of 31 dollars a barrel.

This means even if Brent crude price crosses 31 dollars a barrel, 0.065 of 31 dollars a barrel would be taken for calculating the price, translating into 3.21 dollars per million British thermal unit.

The LNG price for the first three years of supplies would be fixed at 2.97 dollars a barrel, apparently to make the imports competitive with Qatar price. Qatar is currently selling LNG to India at 2.53 dollars a barrel fixed price for 5 years upto 2008 after which its price too would be linked to 16 to 24 dollars a barrel price band. At the upper end of the band, Qatari LNG would cost around the Iranian price.

"GAIL and Indian Oil Corp have signed an agreement with National Iranian Gas Export Corp today to import 7.5 million tonnes of LNG for 25 years," Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said.

ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) will get a 20 per cent share in the development of Iran's biggest onshore oil field, Yadavaran, and 100 per cent in 30,000 barrels per day Jufeyr field. The 20 per cent in Yadavaran would translate into 60,000 barrels per day of crude oil for India, he said. PTI
PRESS COMMUNIQUÉ ON INDIA – IRAN HYDROCARBON SECTOR COOPERATION

In a bilateral meeting today in New Delhi between the Hon’ble Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas of India, Shri. Mani Shankar Aiyar and H.E. Mr. Bijan Zangeneh, Minister of Petroleum of Iran, it was agreed to further the mutual cooperation between the two countries in the hydrocarbon sector in a big way. In addition to concluding the details of the long pending package comprising of LNG imports from Iran and participation of Indian companies in Iranian oilfields, it was agreed to deepen further the relationship between the two countries.



2. As regards imports of LNG from Iran, GAIL and IOC signed an agreement with M/s NIGEC (National Iranian Gas Export Corporation), to import 7.5 MMTPA of LNG for a period of 25 years beginning 2009. On the issue of participation of Indian companies in Iranian oilfields, an MoU was entered into by OVL with NIOC as per which Indian oil PSUs, led by OVL, would participate in Yadavaran field (20% participation equivalent to 60,000 barrels per day) and Jufeyr field (around 30,000 barrels per day) in Iran through service contracts.



3. The following was further agreed:



(i) IOC had signed an MoU with M/s Petropars for developing an upstream block in South Pars gas field and setting up of LNG liquefaction facilities with 9 MMTPA capacity in Iran. IOC and M/s Petropars would submit a joint proposal to NIOC by the end of February 2005 for the award of the project. The Iranian side agreed for a favorable consideration of the proposal.

(ii) IOC – EIL Combine had submitted a bid for upgradation of Tehran and Tabriz refineries. The original condition of the bid required a crude swap arrangement between the Caspian crude and Iranian crude for financing the project. However, in view of the changed situation in the world oil market, arranging financing through such swap arrangement has not been found workable. Thus, it was decided that IOC – EIL would submit an alternative financing proposal, which would be favorably considered by the Iranian side.

(iii) There is great potential for mutual investments by India and Iran in the petrochemical sector. NPC has offered IOC participation in their 12th Olefin complex, under implementation at Bandar Assaluyeh. The Iranian side further offered to the Indian companies the opportunities for investments for producing fertilizers, ethylene, methanol, ammonia, etc., in Iran. The Indian companies agreed to examine and submit appropriate proposals in this regard.

(iv) The Iranian side suggested investments for setting up of energy intensive projects viz., producing aluminum, cement, steel, etc. in Iran. The Indian side agreed to further examine the possibilities.

(v) The Iranian side invited investments in gas condensate refineries and super heavy oil refineries in Iran. It was agreed that IOC would look at these proposals for taking a view.

(vi) ONGC requested participation in the whole gas value chain, starting from E&P to downstream gas processing, alongwith Iranian companies. They would be making a detailed proposal for taking up a block in South Pars field. The Iranian side agreed to favorably consider such proposal.

(vii) GAIL has signed a MOC with Iran Fuel Conservation Organization (IFCO) for cooperation in CNG related opportunities. During the meeting, GAIL proposed for making investment for developing CNG infrastructure in Tehran and Esfahan. The Iranian side agreed to favorably consider the proposal.

(viii) EIL suggested that based on their experience/expertise in ethylene and C2/C3 liquefaction, they may be considered by the Iranian side for PMC services for LNG projects. The Iranian side suggested that EIL may like to come jointly with reputed firms for LNG projects and they could consider the same in case the same is acceptable to investment bankers dealing with such projects.
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Post by ajit »

The deal is confirmed!

India signs pact with Iran to import 7.5 mt LNG
Iran would sell the LNG to India at a price linked to Brent crude oil. As per the formula, New Delhi would pay 1.2 dollars plus 0.065 of Brent crude average. However, Brent price would have an upper ceiling of 31 dollars a barrel.

This means even if Brent crude price crosses 31 dollars a barrel, 0.065 of 31 dollars a barrel would be taken for calculating the price, translating into 3.21 dollars per million British thermal unit.

The LNG price for the first three years of supplies would be fixed at 2.97 dollars a barrel, apparently to make the imports competitive with Qatar price. Qatar is currently selling LNG to India at 2.53 dollars a barrel fixed price for 5 years upto 2008 after which its price too would be linked to 16 to 24 dollars a barrel price band. At the upper end of the band, Qatari LNG would cost around the Iranian price.
This formula of 1.2 + (0.065 * Brent) is higher than what we wanted ($0.92 + 0.04 * Brent) or what Iranians wanted ($0.92+ 0.065 * Brent) as per earlier reports. The significant change is that the Brent Crude price subject to an upper ceiling of $31, resulting in the Max price of $3.215/MBTU.

Also:
ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) will get a 20 per cent share in the development of Iran's biggest onshore oil field, Yadavaran, and 100 per cent in 30,000 barrels per day Jufeyr field. The 20 per cent in Yadavaran would translate into 60,000 barrels per day of crude oil for India, he said.
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Post by Katare »

Mani Shankar Aiyar 8)
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Post by SSridhar »

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Post by SureshP »

This formula of 1.2 + (0.065 * Brent) is higher than what we wanted ($0.92 + 0.04 * Brent) or what Iranians wanted ($0.92+ 0.065 * Brent) as per earlier reports. The significant change is that the Brent Crude price subject to an upper ceiling of $31, resulting in the Max price of $3.215/MBTU.


Ajit,
How does that price compare with the Sino-Iranian deal ? Any ideas.
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Post by SSridhar »

Meanwhile, the faithful attack the not so faithful in the Land of the Pure.

Three killed as Sui gas pipeline is attacked in Balochistan
Rockets attacks are common in many parts of Baluchistan of which Quetta is the capital.

Authorities often blame such attacks on local tribesmen who target security forces or state-owned gas facilities to press their demands for an increase in royalty payments for gas extracted in their territory.
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Post by SSridhar »

Indo-Iran LNG deal price competitive, say experts

Here are some prices for comparison.

I assume that the Iran price is pre-regassification which means another 0.65 USD per mBTU and transportation charges by GAIL through pipelines.
The deal, which was signed today, provides for import of 7.5 million tonnes of LNG from Iran at a price of $1.2 plus 0.065 of Brent crude average, with an upper ceiling of $31 a barrel on Brent prices.

At the upper Brent crude price of $31 dollars a barrel, the LNG cost would be $3.21 per mmbtu.

According to analysts, the most recent benchmark is of the Reliance LNG supply price for supply of three million tonnes of natural gas for NTPC's gas-based plants, where Reliance quoted an ambitious delivered price (inclusive of transportation, taxes and duties) of $2.97 per mmbtu.

ONGC's delivered gas price to the power industry from its Bombay High fields is nearly double the Reliance quote for NTPC. Petronas LNG, which competed with Reliance for the NTPC tender, quoted $3.45 per mmbtu only for the LNG supply.

Coupled with the quote of Petronet LNG Ltd, which quoted $0.65 per mmbtu for regassification, the total delivered cost of gas at the power plant would have come to $4.14 per mmbtu

The price offered by PLL, the only LNG supplier in the country, is much higher at over $4.5 per mmbtu in Gujarat.
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Post by Neshant »

Sui gas pipeline blown up

http://www.dawn.com/2005/01/08/top9.htm
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Oil prices

Post by Guest »

I do not know why Hon'ble Minister Sankar Iyer is not able to reduce the prices when the international prices has reasobly gone down. He is the sort of congressmen who makes people to hate congress. He needs to be taught the the government cannot sustain the anger of middle class if the government is putting her hands into the middle class pockets. I would suggest before the assembly elections the central government has someone to advise on this to reduce the prices of Petrol accordingly. If it goes up again the prices in India can go up again? If you are internationalising prices and regulate the prices according to the international standard, then why are not coming down when the international prices are coming down. I think Mani Sankar's pocket is filled by the Oil suppliers.
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Post by SureshP »

Katta,
Its sheer economic idiocy to beleive that the Govt should subsidise the Indian populace indefinatly. Indian govt has to ride the highs and the lows of oil/gas international pricing but the progressive trend should always be towards a more accurate reflection of the world supply/demand pricing structure. Any other way lies economic madness. The Ma-Baap govt that you advocate while critisizing Congress is laughable palpable nonsense.

Saudis can sell cheap subsidised petrol and gas to thier populace but India if it wants to pull out of low growth low investment regime must aim for a truer and transparent reflection of oil/gas pricing, painfull as it may be.
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Post by Sohum »

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Post by ajit »

SureshP wrote: How does that price compare with the Sino-Iranian deal ? Any ideas.
Unfortunately I did not find any details of the China-Iran deal anywhere. Most of the news reports are of the following generic variety:
Under a memorandum of understanding signed Thursday, Sinopec Group will buy 250 million tons of liquefied natural gas over 30 years from Iran and develop the giant Yadavaran field.

Iran is also committed to export 150,000 barrels per day of crude oil to China for 25 years at market prices after commissioning of the field.
The deal is apparently not very open, with probable under-the-desk defense deals enmeshed in the agreement, which is probably why there are so few details publicly available.

BRites please be on the lookout for any such details...
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Post by Katare »

SureshP,

It is a myth that govt subsidizes any of the petro-product to its citizen on a net cost to govt. All govt does is first charges inhumane taxes on all petro-products pushing the cost sky high and than uses that same tax money to subsidize and even cross subsidize selected products. If taxes are rationalized and brought down to US level there won't be a need for subsidizing anything. It'll cost what it costing right now after subsidy.

This information was given by Mani Shankar Aiyar to the parliament few days back. Price without any taxes would be lower than the current subsidized cost for even the kerosene and LPG.
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Post by SureshP »

Katta,
Do you have any, but any idea how much fuel is taxed in Europe. The US has traditionally run a low tax regime because oil's mass usage came at the same time as the discovery of oil in the US. The US citizen sees it as his birthright to have cheap oil. India imports 70% (soon to rise to 80%} of its oil and the oil wells in India are coming to thier end of useful life with little to no prospect of major discovries in the future. If I was an Oil minister in India, I would be raising taxes on oil imports to ensure a healthier competition for alternatives and ensuring that the balloning Oil bill is capped to a managable level and promoting effeciencies and competition in transport refining and sale of oil products.
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Post by SSridhar »

Two Sui gas pipelines blown-up by the faithfuls.

Security tightened around Sui
According to sources a portion of the pipeline had been badly damaged, causing A huge fire in the pipeline. Meanwhile, an underground organization, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), has claimed responsibility for last night's attack in Sui.
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Post by kgoan »

Pak view of the deal:
Even as India and Pakistan were trying to smoothen differences on an overland oil and gas pipeline from Iran, New Delhi has gone ahead and cut a $40 billion :eek: deal with Iran over the next 25 years on LNG (liquefied natural gas). Is this the end of the Pakistan pipeline issue?

. . .Now India has made clear that it will play hardball on the issue. There are reasons for it. The normalisation process aside, India is not prepared to let Pakistan go one-up on it. When its security experts rejected the overland pipeline option in the late nineties, it began work on LNG. By now, it has already spent a major chunk of the upfront cost of carrying the LNG and de-compressing it. Also, the deal just signed gives India 20 percent stake in upstream participation in the Yadavaran and Pars fields. Moreover, in the current deal, the price has been worked out over the entire period until 2036. This could help offset the cost of fluctuating prices that would attend an overland pipeline. Similarly, India has developed a fleet of its own ships to carry LNG.

. . .But there's a catch. We do not know how India has worked out its rate of growth and the rate of consumption over this period. If those calculations go awry whether on the plus or minus side, the LNG option could prove far more expensive than an overland pipeline. Experts say India's requirement is likely to increase more than it has determined at this moment. If that is correct then we could expect India to try and work two options: LNG as well as an overland pipeline. It has started with LNG because that gives it a better handle on negotiations with Pakistan over the pipeline. Since the LNG project would kick off in 2009, there is time still for India to drive a hard bargain with Pakistan. As for Iran, all the deals work to its advantage. It has signed the LNG deal with India and China and has signed one with Pakistan on the pipeline. If India involves itself in the pipeline deal at some point in the near future, Iran gets more, not less.
From: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.as ... 2005_pg3_1
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Post by SSridhar »

This is going out of control.

A jawan killed and 8 injured in another Sui attack.
A soldier was killed and eight civilians were wounded in a rocket attack by tribesmen on a gas installation in southwest Pakistan overnight, officials said Saturday.
Several rockets hit the facility at Sui, 320 kilometres southeast of Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province
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Post by Kakkaji »

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Post by Kakkaji »

LNG imports to double domestic gas supply by 2009

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownewsdat ... wsno=26557
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Post by SSridhar »

Continuiing Rocket attacks on Sui infrastructure
Two more people died in continued rocket attacks by unidentified people on a gas installation in Sui, officials said on Monday.

Security forces traded fire with the attackers from Sunday night until early on Monday at Sui, local administrator Muhammad Akbar said.

Meanwhile, the fighting prevented workers from assessing damage sustained during a weekend of intensive rocket attacks, Reuters quoted a government official as saying on Monday. Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (PPL) was doing its utmost to keep gas flowing from the Sui field, but a spokesman for the firm said frightened workers were fleeing the area or staying at home. “The rockets, bullets hit the gas pipeline, watch towers, offices, residences and a workshop, causing several large fires,” the PPL spokesman said. “The second attack also caused tremendous damage to the residence of the acting manager.”
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Post by Neshant »

its astounding how much the pakistanis are willing to give up to promote their policy of fanaticism towards India.

this bugti thing is one more nail in the coffin of piped gas - not that it ever was a consideration to begin with.

they have lost billions by being hostile to india. The taiwanese, koreans and japanese put aside their issues with China and trade their way to prosperity. The dumb as a doornail pakistanis have a tribal & feudal mentality.
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Post by Gerard »

Hell they gave up their identity and civilizational heritage (Indian Muslims) at partition.

What is a few billion dollars against that.
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Post by Kakkaji »

gerard wrote:Hell they gave up their identity and civilizational heritage (Indian Muslims) at partition..
Yes, but that was only a tactical retreat. The Mughal Empire shall rise and rule again. :lol:
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Post by Kakkaji »

After oil, Cairn now finds gas in Rajasthan

http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story ... t_id=62520
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Post by Gerard »

Asian ministers plan gas pipeline
Energy ministers from Bangladesh, India and Burma are meeting in the Burmese capital, Rangoon, to discuss a joint gas pipeline project.
...
The pipeline would run through Arakan state in Burma via the Indian states of Mizoram and Tripura before crossing Bangladesh to Calcutta.
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Post by Rishikx »

its astounding how much the pakistanis are willing to give up to promote their policy of fanaticism towards India.

this bugti thing is one more nail in the coffin of piped gas - not that it ever was a consideration to begin with.

they have lost billions by being hostile to india. The taiwanese, koreans and japanese put aside their issues with China and trade their way to prosperity. The dumb as a doornail pakistanis have a tribal & feudal mentality
I would like to quote an Indian strategist:

Pakistan is a Army with a country, not a country with a Army. If the Army gives up its hostile position, would not the country take over?
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Post by Gerard »

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Post by Gerard »

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/GA13Df05.html

Reliance Industries Ltd, India's sole private sector oil refiner, will export close to US$4.5 billion worth of petroleum products this fiscal year.

[/url]
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Post by Gerard »

From Daily Pioneer

Myanmar to export natural gas to India

New Delhi

Myanmar will export natural gas to India by a pipeline through Bangladesh, according to a joint statement issued after a meeting of energy ministers of India, Bangladesh & Myanmar in Yangon.
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Post by Kakkaji »

Deal reached on Myanmar gas for India via Bangla

http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story ... t_id=62679

Within a week of India sealing a $40 bn LNG deal with Iran, Bangladesh today agreed to make space for a $1 bn 290-km gas pipeline that will run from Myanmar all the way to Kolkata.

As part of the agreement, Bangladesh, which had sought the right to access hydro-electricity from Nepal and Bhutan through Indian territory and a corridor to supply commodities to these countries, has reserved the right to inject and siphon off gas from the pipeline.

Briefing reporters from Yangon, Aiyar said that while Bangladesh can transit its own gas, India can use the line to move gas from North East to West Bengal and Bihar.

Bangladesh will earn about $125 million annually as transit fee of the pipeline, which will run though Arakan in Myanmar, Mizoram and Tripura before crossing Bangladesh to Kolkata. India will also ‘‘favourably’’ examine Bangladesh’s request for transit right to Bhutan and Nepal, Aiyar said.

Aiyar said the pipeline is one of several options being considered by India to access gas reserves at a Shwe field block in offshore Myanmar, as well as volumes that are expected to be discovered in the adjacent block.

‘‘Some gas might come in form of compressed natural gas (CNG) in ships, which can make two round trips from Myanmar to east coast of India every day. We could also do it by putting up a liquefication plant (in Myanmar) and exporting LNG to India and other countries,’’ said Aiyar.

Myanmar has huge natural gas reserves and ‘‘we are keeping all options open and neither is mutually exclusive,’’ said Aiyar.


India, Bangladesh and Myanmar also agreed to form a techno-commercial committee to go into issues such as size, length, routing, pricing and quality of gas.

‘‘The route of the pipeline may be determined by mutual agreement of the three governments with a view to ensuring adequate access, maximum security and optimal economic utilisation,’’ said Aiyar.

However, the Minister did not indicate any timeframe for the construction of the pipeline. ‘‘The pipeline construction, operation and maintenance will be taken by an international consortium,’’ said Aiyar, adding that details would be worked out by the committee.
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Post by Kakkaji »

PM cites China: oil PSUs can do with new look, compete abroad
Restructuring: Govt clears panel, gives two months to suggest ways

http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story ... t_id=62872
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Post by Calvin »

The idea of an LNG regas terminal on the East Coast is one that should be advocated. IT provides an secure alternative from Pakistani attack, opens us up to Indonesian and Myanmarese gas and can create an entirely new chemical industry base in the east.
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Post by Kakkaji »

Calvin wrote:The idea of an LNG regas terminal on the East Coast is one that should be advocated. IT provides an secure alternative from Pakistani attack, opens us up to Indonesian and Myanmarese gas and can create an entirely new chemical industry base in the east.
IIRC, when I mentioned the same thing a couple of months ago on the IPI pipeline thread, you questioned the merit of the idea. :P

That aside, IMHO Tamil Nadu alone will need and use up the entire output of a Dahej-size LNG import terminal in the future.
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Post by Singha »

from yahoo.co.in:

Sunday January 16, 8:39 PM

Saudi Aramco eyes Indian refining, retailing sector

By Himangshu Watts

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Saudi Aramco, the world's top oil exporter, said on Sunday it wants to enter India's oil refining and retailing sector and invited Indian firms to invest in a refinery that may be built in Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom was also keen to strengthen ties with Indian firms, which buy more than 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil from Saudi Arabia, Abdallah Jumah, president and CEO of Saudi Aramco, told an oil and gas conference in New Delhi.

Saudi Arabia was considering building a new 400,000 bpd refinery and Indian firms could consider investing in it, he said, but did not elaborate.

"We are thinking. It is just an idea," he told reporters on the sidelines of the conference.

Jumah said he was scheduled to meet the chairman of state-run Indian Oil Corp, the country's largest refiner, to discuss business opportunities.

"Hope it won't be long before we conclude something," he said.

In 2003, when the Indian government offered a controlling stake in refining and retailing firm Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd, Aramco was ready to bid, Jumah said, but the Indian government withdrew its offer after stiff opposition from political parties and trade unions.

Jumah said Aramco had not given up hope and valued investment opportunities in India's downstream sector.

"Besides strengthening oil supply relationships and commercially benefiting both parties to the agreement, such joint ventures will also assist us in establishing closer ties with the Indian end-users of our petroleum."

Saudi Aramco has already invested in Japan's Showa Shell, South Korea's S-Oil Corp and Philippine refiner Petron Corp, as it seeks stable outlets for its crude in the face of competition from other Middle East producers such as Iran and Oman.

Jumah said the investment in Japan followed a decade of efforts by Aramco to develop a partnership in a major market.

"I think our involvement in Showa Shell is indicative of Saudi Aramco's willingness to wait until conditions are ripe."

He said the company was prepared to wait for the right moment in India also.

"I think the example of Japan is an important one when it comes to assessing and analysing Saudi Aramco's intentions in India," he said.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Kutty Abraham)
Vivek_A
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Post by Vivek_A »

Business Week.

Hydrogen Cars Are Almost Here, But...
There are still serious problems to solve, such as: Where will drivers fuel up?

At the January auto show in Los Angeles, U.S. car enthusiasts got their first look at the H2R, a race car from BMW. Building it took just 10 months, but the race it's designed to win will last for the next 10 years and beyond. It's the race to stem pollution from vehicles that burn gasoline and diesel fuels.

The H2R runs on hydrogen, the gas that lights the sun. All carmakers are scrambling to harness this clean fuel, driven by long-term worries about oil supplies as well as environmental harm. Washington and other governments share the concerns.

When it comes to hydrogen vehicles, most car companies are counting on little under-the-hood chemical refineries known as fuel cells. Trouble is, a fuel-cell system powerful enough for a car would add roughly $100,000 to sticker prices today. And then there's an even tougher problem: Where would drivers get the fuel? Fewer than 100 filling stations in the whole world now pump hydrogen. So it could be a couple of decades before fuel-cell cars become popular enough to make a dent either in pollution or in petroleum consumption.

BMW is taking a shortcut that addresses these issues, at least in part. Its H2R race car has an ordinary internal-combustion engine -- but it burns hydrogen. It's basically the same engine used in the carmaker's 760i luxury sedans. Running on hydrogen, it develops 286 horsepower and propels the H2R from from zero to 60 mph in under six seconds. And the car hit 187 mph last September at the Miramas racetrack in France. "The message we wanted to send is that you can have fun driving and be environmentally conscious at the same time," says Tom Purves, CEO of BMW of North America LLC.

As for the dearth of hydrogen filling stations, that ceases to be quite as big a problem. The same BMW engine can run on either hydrogen or gasoline, so simply adding a second fuel system can create a bi-fuel car. For daily trips around town, you would burn hydrogen to minimize urban pollution, says Anton Reisinger, manager of BMW's hydrogen program. "But out on the motorway, you could punch a button and run on gasoline." If a trip on hydrogen goes beyond that fuel's 215-mile range, he adds, the car would automatically switch over to gasoline, giving you up to 500 more miles.

The downside to burning hydrogen in a combustion engine is that it produces some pollution -- a small amount of nitrogen oxides (NOx). Fuel cells, on the other hand, spew out nothing more noxious than water. But BMW asserts that its out-the-tailpipe NOx levels will be well below even California's strict Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle standard.

Another consideration is that BMW bi-fuel cars will use liquid hydrogen, which must be kept very cold, below -423F. The car's onboard cryogenic system takes care of this automatically. But if the vehicle isn't started up for three or four days, says Reisinger, the liquid will begin to boil, and hydrogen gas will escape through a vent. That, however, sounds like a bigger worry than it actually is. Despite persistent myths, hydrogen is less dangerous than gasoline. It disperses quickly, so even when a container leaks explosions are next to impossible.

When will zippy bi-fuel BMW 7 Series sedans show up at dealers? It's not a sure bet, but BMW CEO Helmut Panke says he plans to put small numbers of them on the road, probably in Europe, within three years. A U.S. launch is more likely to happen around 2010.

By then, there could be multiple hydrogen filling stations serving major cities. The German government is sponsoring development of filling stations with their own hydrogen generators. That way, the lack of hydrogen pipelines and delivery trucks won't hold back the early transition away from gasoline and diesel to hydrogen cars -- and to the ultimate goal of pollution-free fuel cells.

The hydrogen comes from a familiar resource: water. Here's how it works. Water molecules are split into their hydrogen and oxygen constituents by electrolysis, or by shocking them with an electric current. Then, after the hydrogen makes a trip through a fuel cell, it recombines with oxygen in the air and reverts back to water. Refueling stations with electrolyzers have been built in Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. And others have been installed as part of the Clean Urban Transport for Europe program in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Reykjavik, and Stockholm.

Hydrogen filling stations are also getting sprinkled across the U.S. Last April, the Energy Dept. said it would spend $190 million over five years if industry chipped in a similar sum to build hydrogen-and-gasoline stations and other infrastructure projects. Results weren't long in coming. In November, Shell Oil Co. (RD ) and General Motors Corp. (GM ) cut the ribbon on a new hydrogen station in Washington. It's just the first of a string of stations between the capital and New York, says outgoing Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.

In California, Energy has awarded a contract for the construction of two dozen stations to a team led by Air Products & Chemicals Inc. (APD ) The company has already built 30 hydrogen stations around the globe and is the No. 1 producer of hydrogen. (The fertilizer and chemical industries consume millions of tons of the gas each year.)

Not to be upstaged, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last spring called for a "hydrogen highway network" by 2010. He envisions at least 150 fuel stops at regular intervals along major highways. The California Fuel Cell Partnership, composed mainly of transportation agencies and carmakers, has so far built 13 hydrogen stations, and the group has more on the drawing board.

BIOMASS: THE TICKET?
Some of the upcoming fuel stations may also have water-electrolysis systems. However, while that technology makes sense in Europe, where gasoline is twice as expensive, it's not so attractive in the U.S. Electrolysis takes a lot of electricity. It costs at least $2.50 to produce a kilogram of hydrogen, which contains the same amount of energy as a gallon of gasoline. But the next generation of wind turbines and solar cells could supply cheaper electricity and make electrolysis more feasible for certain areas of the U.S.. Germany is already experimenting with wind-powered electrolysis at filling stations. Energy's goal for hydrogen from water is $2 per kilogram by 2010.

In the U.S. heartland, biomass is the long-term ticket. This refers to leftover crop plants plus lumber and logging waste. Coaxing biomass to give up its hydrogen now costs more than $3 a kilogram. But researchers expect to shrink that to $2.60 around 2010. A few years later, hydrogen could compete with gasoline.

Total up all the potentials, and the U.S. has more than enough domestic resources to supply the energy it needs to replace all automotive fossil fuels with hydrogen -- using renewable resources only. So it would no longer be necessary to extract hydrogen from finite supplies of natural gas, which is the source of 90% of hydrogen today.

Once hydrogen is bountiful, says Raymond Freymann, BMW's managing director of research and technology, "we can go to a mono-fuel engine and not only extend the range [of the vehicle] but also improve the performance." So the H2R's 187 mph and 6-second acceleration may be just the start. But it seems like a good beginning.


By Otis Port in New York
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Post by SSridhar »

India proposes wide-ranging o&g cooperation with Malaysia including Ennore LNG project
Aiyar said Petronas could also join IOC in building a LNG import facility at Ennore in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Petronas and IOC were jointly exploring the possibility of putting up an LNG terminal at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh state, but the discovery of huge gas reserves off the Andhra Pradesh coast had made the import terminal redundant. "Now we want Petronas to come on board in Ennore project," he said.
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