Wednesday, 16 July 2014

Oil ministry plans to reduce energy imports from Gulf countries, turns to Russia for fuel

The oil ministry has chalked out a strategy to gradually reduce energy sourcing from politically volatile countries in the Gulf region and explore importing natural gas from Russia, Iran and CIS countries, government sources said.

In a recent presentation to the prime minister, the oil ministry also proposed a new regime to manage oil-field contracts. In the current system the contractor recovers costs before sharing profit with the government. In the proposed system, the two sides share revenues from the day production starts. "The matter is under active consideration of the governnt," one source said.


Officials say the simpler new regime should minimize state interference in oil-field affairs and boost private investment, leading to higher output and better energy security.

To improve energy security, oil ministry officials say the country should avoid heavy dependence on oil and look at opportunities to import natural gas from all possible sources.

India has warm relations with Russia, which is the world's second-biggest producer of gas and third-largest producer of crude oil.

According to US Energy Information administration, oil and gas revenues account for over 50 per cent of Russia's budget revenues. 

The oil ministry is also working on oil supply diversity especially after political disturbances in Iraq, India's biggest crude oil supplier after Saudi Arabia. India committed to import about 19 million tonnes of crude oil from Iraq and is concerned about the situation in the region, another government official said.

India is planning to source crude oil from Canada after it has developed Venezuela as one of the major suppliers outside the Gulf countries. 


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