Hike being mulled as govt scrambles to find ways to meet Rs 1,60,000 cr deficit expected this fiscal on selling diesel, LPG and kerosene below production cost

Diesel prices may be hiked by Rs 10 per litre over a 10-month period and kerosene rates increased by same quantum over the next two years if a proposal being mulled in the Oil Ministry is accepted.

The three firms -- IOC, RIL and BPCL -- have retained their last year's respective ranks

State-run Indian Oil Corp is the biggest company in terms of revenue, followed by Reliance Industries, according to the Fortune 500 list of Indian companies for 2012. This year's list of the country's 500 largest corporations, compiled by the business magazine Fortune's Indian edition, features as many as 55 new entities.

Appoints Foster Wheeler as consultant to prepare project report

Even as domestic gas production has fallen 8 per cent, Oil India Ltd (OIL) is planning to set up a liquefied natural gas ( LNG) receiving terminal in India. The company plans to set up a 2.5-million tonne (mt) capacity terminal. According to an industry executive in the know, Geneva-based Foster Wheeler AG has been appointed consultant to prepare a project report for the foray into imported gas. When asked, Ananth Kumar, director (finance), Oil India, confirmed the appointment of a consultant about a fortnight ago, but did not divulge the name, citing a confidentiality clause in the contract.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), on Tuesday, said it had plans to set up a Rs.30,000-crore refinery on the West coast in Gujarat or Maharashtra, as part of its programme to raise the refining capacity

The wait for the east coast to have a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal might get longer, with Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd (ONGC), the two state-run companies that had proposed to jointly develop a terminal in Mangalore, putting the plan on hold.

Senior executives in both companies say how far the two partners could sell the fuel in the domestic market is under doubt. Given that the Dabhol and Kochi terminals will be commissioned next year, Mangalore will be well-connected by pipelines, said a senior BPCL executive, who requested anonymity.

Mumbai In what could be a festival gift for consumers from oil marketing companies, the price of petrol has been reduced by 95 paise per litre effective Friday. But the relief may be shortlived as state-owned retail entities have expressed concern over the “significant” volatility in dollar-rupee exchange rate that may end the present run of price cuts for petrol.

Oil companies last reduced petrol prices on October 8 marginally by about Rs 0.57 per litre on account of softening of product prices globally on weak demand.

OMCs use new software to track fake connections

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry has launched “Project Lakshya” to reduce waiting time for delivery of LPG cylinders and track duplicate connections, by enrolling the assistance of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the Pune-based Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) through a new software.

IOC, the largest fuel retailer, will receive a government subsidy of about 161 billion rupees

India will pay 300 billion rupees to state-owned fuel retailers forced to sell at cheaper government-set rates in the first half of the year, said three sources who saw the finance ministry's confirmation letter. The government fixes retail prices of liquefied petroleum gas, kerosene and diesel to protect the poor, leading to revenue losses at state-run Indian Oil Corp (IOC) , Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) .

Mumbai Soaring crude prices and pressure back home to keep rates lower is forcing government-run hydrocarbon firms to diversify into non-oil and gas sectors.

Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), which supplies crude to oil refiners at a lower price as part of a government subsidy plan, said its board has approved a plan to enter nuclear power and will soon start discussions with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) for partnering their projects.

Price of non-subsidised cooking gas, which consumers buy beyond the quota of 6 cylinders was hiked on firming international rates

The price of non-subsidised cooking gas (LPG), which consumers buy beyond the cheaper quota of six cylinders, was today hiked by Rs 26.50 to Rs 922 per unit on firming international rates. The 14.2-kg cooking gas cylinder that consumers buy beyond their entitled six bottles at subsidised rates, will now cost Rs 922, up from Rs 895.50 in Delhi, according to Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest fuel retailer.