Page 3 - Oil Sector

Import more crude grades to cut basket price: Parliamentary panel

India currently imports about 50 grades of crude oil in a year

Operating profit of offshore rig operators may jump 30% in FY25: Report

Operating profit of offshore rig operators in India is likely to jump 30 per cent next fiscal on the back of strong global demand for rigs amid healthy crude prices and elevated day rate which has doubled to USD 85,000 from the last year's level, says a report by Crisil Ratings. The day rate is the amount of money paid by the operator to the drilling contractor for each day that the rig is used to drill a well. In the absence of significant investment towards rig addition, growth will bolster the returns and debt metrics of rig operators and strengthen their credit risk profiles, it added. Crude price, which averaged at USD 55 a barrel between fiscals 2016 and 2021, increased to USD 86 a barrel on average since fiscal 2022. Higher crude prices have, in turn, incentivised increased capex in offshore exploration and production activities, driving up demand for offshore rigs. Though global demand for offshore rigs has surged 11 per cent since April 2022, supply has shrunk as operator

51.5% agri exports from just 5 products makes sector vulnerable: GTRI

India's agri export basket is dependent on just five commodities including rice and sugar and this makes the sector vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices and demand, a report by economic think tank GTRI said on Monday. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said these five products -- basmati rice, non-basmati rice, sugar, spices, and oil meals -- account for 51.5 per cent of India's total agriculture exports. Furthermore, India grapples with various domestic challenges including infrastructural deficits, quality control issues, and non-tariff barriers, all of which impede the growth and competitiveness of its agricultural sector, it said. "This makes them (agri exports) vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices and demand," it said, adding these commodities also face frequent export bans in India. At present export of non-basmati rice is currently banned from India and India is also fighting at the WTO (World Trade Organisation) to protect subsidies to rice and wheat

Saudi Arabia's economy suffers biggest contraction since 2020 on oil cuts

Gross domestic product shrunk 4.5% in the third quarter compared to a year earlier, driven by a 17% drop in the oil economy

BFSI, oil & gas sectors key drivers of India Inc earnings as IT slips

A slowdown in the IT services sector is expected to impact the growth of overall corporate earnings in the coming quarters

Growing tanker fleet, cheaper freight challenges Russia price cap: Analysis

The sanctions do not apply to shipping companies or insurers from other countries, regardless of the price

IOC to invest over Rs 2,600 crore to set up greenfield units in northeast

Indian Oil Corporation has firmed up plans to pump in over Rs 2,600 crore in setting up several greenfield units and expanding its facilities across the northeast over the next few years, a senior company official said. The board of IOC has already approved various new projects, while some are in the process of getting the nod, with the leading energy firm in talks with the local governments in Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur to finalise land parcels for the greenfield units. "Northeast is one of the most important regions for Indian Oil and much focus is given here by the top management. We have planned to augment our operations by enhancing refining as well as petroleum, oil and lubricant (POL) storage capacities," IOC Executive Director (Indian Oil-AOD) Ganesan Ramesh told PTI in an interview. The company is at present carrying out nearly a dozen projects, both greenfield and brownfield, across the region, entailing a total investment of Rs 2,612 crore, he said. "We have a major

Saudi crude oil cuts throw last year's standout economy into slow lane

The slashing of supply will be a drag on the world's biggest oil exporter

Govt appoints Anil Jain as chairman of oil and gas sector regulatory body

The government has appointed seasoned bureaucrat and gas sector expert Anil Kumar Jain as the new chairman of the oil and gas sector regulatory body, PNGRB, an official order said. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of Jain, who retired as coal secretary in October last year, as the new chairman of the Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB). The ACC has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, based on the recommendations of the Search Committee, for the appointment of Anil Kumar Jain. Jain has been appointed as the Chairperson PNGRB "for a period of five years from the date assumption of charge of the post or till attaining the age of 65 years, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest, on a consolidated pay package of Rs 4.50 lakhs per month (without house and car) or as revised by the Ministry of Finance from time to time," the ACC order of May 15 said. Bihar-born, 1986-batch Indian ...

The challenge from Urals

India's oil pricing policies must be fine-tuned to reflect the new Russian reality

Oil firms making Rs 10 a litre profit on petrol, Rs 6.5 loss on diesel

Oil companies are selling petrol at a profit of Rs 10 per litre but retail prices haven't been reduced as they recoup past losses and make up for a Rs 6.5 a litre loss on diesel, a report said. State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) have for the past 15 months not revised petrol and diesel prices in line with the cost. They have times of low oil prices to recoup losses incurred when rates were high. "Post record high losses of Rs 17.4 per litre on petrol and Rs 27.7 a litre diesel for the week ended June 24, 2022, margins for petrol are estimated at a positive Rs 10 per litre for Q3 (October-December 2022) while diesel losses too have likely narrowed to Rs 6.5 a litre for the same quarter," ICICI Securities said in a report. The three fuel retailers haven't changed petrol and diesel prices since April 6, 2022, despite input crude oil prices rising from USD 102.97 per barrel that month to USD ..

The big short in oil & gas PSUs: Lack of leadership in sector hurting India

The government deplores the lack of good leadership in these companies but it adds to the problem with sub-optimal appointment practices for chief executives in this sector

ONGC Q2 profit tumbles 30% to Rs 12,826 crore on windfall tax woes

Profit fell 15.6 per cent over the preceding June quarter when it had reported a net of Rs 15,205.85 crore

Oil giant Exxon Mobil rakes in profit of $19.66 bn in Q3; revenue doubles

Exxon Mobil broke records again with its profits in the third quarter, raking in USD 19.66 billion in net income. The Irving, Texas company said on Friday that it booked USD 112.07 billion in revenue during the quarter, more than double revenue last year during the same period. Americans have struggled with painfully high gasoline prices in recent months, paying more than USD 4.80 on average for a gallon of regular at the beginning of July. Prices eased somewhat towards the end of the quarter, but customers were still paying more than USD 3.79 a gallon of regular, on average, in late September. Our strong third-quarter results reflect the hard work of our people to invest in and build businesses critical to meeting the demand we see today, said CEO Darren Woods, in a statement. We all understand how important our role is in producing the energy and products the world needs, and third-quarter results reflect our commitment to that objective. Natural gas prices have also been high, .

Oil prices drop as Chinese demand data shows depressed consumption

Oil prices slid on Monday after Chinese data showed that demand from the world's largest crude importer remained lacklustre in September

Weak global growth, high inflation may impact energy demand, says RIL

Company sees oil demand averaging 99.6 million barrels a day, up 1.9 per cent versus a year ago....

Russian oil logistics in chaos with weeks until EU sanctions bite

With about six weeks until the bloc's measures enter into force, little clarity exists on whether these steps will really suffice to help Russia to get much of its output to fend off a supply shock

Oil prices rise in tight market as US sets release of more reserves

Oil prices rose on Wednesday as caution over tightening supply countered the negative impact of uncertain Chinese demand growth and news that United States will release more crude from its reserves

Oil prices tick up in volatile trade as US stocks fall on tight market

Oil prices rose slightly on Wednesday amid plenty of caution as bullish signals like falling U.S. crude stocks and a generally undersupplied market were countered

Biden open to new Strategic Petroleum Reserve sale as last tranche released

President Joe Biden will announce the plan Wednesday, senior administration officials told reporters Tuesday evening on condition of anonymity to preview his remarks