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State-owned <keyword id="20039950" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Petroleum-Corporation" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Bharat Petroleum Corporation" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Bharat Petroleum Corporation">Bharat Petroleum Corporation</keyword> plans to invest Rs 1.7 lakh crore over the next five years to grow its core oil refining and fuel marketing business as well as in 'future big bets' of <keyword id="20115883" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="petrochemicals" source="keywords">petrochemicals</keyword> and <keyword id="19895435" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="green-energy" source="keywords">green energy</keyword>, its chairman G Krishnakumar has said. At present, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (<keyword id="19908646" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="BPCL" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="BPCL" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="BPCL">BPCL</keyword>) owns about 14 per cent of India's oil <keyword id="20064251" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="refining-capacity" source="keywords">refining capacity</keyword> and about a quarter of the fuel retailing network. It plans to grow these businesses while foraying into newer areas. The firm is now implementing the first phase of a multi-decade aspirational journey in the form of '<keyword id="22826627" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="project-Aspire" source="keywords">Project Aspire</keyword>' - its five-year strategic framework that is based on two fundamental pillars - 'Nurturing the Core' and 'Investing in Future Big Bets', he said in the company's latest annual report. "Our mid-term strategy is on a continuum. While we remain committed to growing our core businesses, which include refining and marketing <keyword id="20037698" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="petroleum-products" source="keywords">petroleum products</keyword> and upstream, we are equally focused on our big bets comprising petrochemicals, gas, green energy, non-fuel retail, and digital. "Project Aspire, with a planned capex outlay of around Rs 1.70 lakh crore over five years, will enable us to create long-term value for our stakeholders while preserving our planet for future generations," he said. "A cornerstone of our long-term strategy, Project Aspire, with a Rs 1.70 trillion investment, marks the initial phase of our multi-decade odyssey to shape the energy of tomorrow. This, coupled with our robust balance sheet, fuels our ambition to lead the <keyword id="19951336" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="energy-transition" source="keywords">energy transition</keyword>." The company is targeting net zero carbon emissions from its operations by 2040. "BPCL has drawn a net-zero roadmap, which encompasses renewable power, green hydrogen, compressed biogas, carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), efficiency improvement and the offsets procurements. This would require a phased capital outlay of approximately Rs 1 lakh crore till 2040, and the company is geared for the same," he said. The firm's bet on continuing investing in core businesses is based on the premise that India's booming economy will drive a 4-5 per cent annual increase in energy demand and petroleum product consumption. Also, the demand for major petrochemical products is expected to rise by 7-8 per cent annually. "This presents a strategic opportunity to expand refining capacity alongside the development of integrated petrochemical complexes," he said. BPCL is implementing new petrochemical projects at two of its three oil refineries. A Rs 49,000 crore ethylene cracker project is being implemented at the Bina refinery in Madhya Pradesh, alongside raising oil refining capacity from the current 7.8 million tonnes to 11 million tonnes annually by 2029. A polypropylene project is being set up at Kochi refinery in Kerala by 2027. "To meet the anticipated demand beyond our planned expansions in Bina and Kochi, we are actively evaluating options for setting up additional integrated refining and petrochemical capacities within the next 5-7 years," Krishnakumar said without disclosing either the investments or the location of such a project. Andhra Pradesh is being speculated as the likely site after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP and regional party TDP stormed to power in the state in recently concluded assembly elections. TDP has been demanding the implementation of a refinery-cum-petrochemical complex that was promised as part of the package when the state was split more than a decade back. "Our investment in the petrochemical project is consistent with our aspiration of becoming a dominant player in India's petrochemical growth story," Krishnakumar said. On energy transition, he said BPCL is targeting to build 2 gigawatts (GW) of <keyword id="19895602" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="renewable-energy" source="keywords">renewable energy</keyword> capacity by 2025 and 10 GW by 2035. "We are investing nearly Rs 1,000 crore to establish two 50 MW captive wind power plants in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, which will support our refineries in Mumbai and Bina." The firm is also investing around Rs 300 crore in 72 MWp of solar project in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. "Concomitantly, we are executing green hydrogen projects aligned with the National Green Hydrogen Mission. These projects include a 5 MW electrolyser plant at Bina refinery and a green hydrogen refuelling station with an indigenously developed electrolyser at Kochi," he noted. BPCL, he said, is committed to supporting the transition to electric mobility through a robust and accessible charging infrastructure. The company has installed over 3,000 charging stations, including fast chargers for cars and two-wheelers. 900 fast chargers are installed across 120 highway corridors, which helps address the range, discovery and time anxiety of electric vehicle (EV) owners. "Over the next five years, we aim to install 4-wheeler fast chargers at approximately 6,000 retail outlets across 400 highway corridors, prioritising high-traffic corridors like the Golden Quadrilateral and N-S/E-W highways," he said. On biofuels, he said BPCL sells petrol with 20 per cent ethanol blend at 4,279 out of its over 22,000 petrol pumps. It is also building compressed biogas plants using municipal solid waste to make gas that can be used as CNG in automobiles. The firm is also exploring partnerships in the arena. "These combined efforts, along with the upcoming commissioning of a bio-ethanol refinery, positions BPCL as a key player in India's transition to a greener fuel mix, creating a robust ecosystem for the adoption of cleaner fuels across the country," he added. BPCL is establishing a corporate venture capital fund to invest directly in promising startups. "In order to thrive in this complex and challenging business landscape, we will leverage our agility and focus on operational excellence to ensure continued success. Safety and reliability will remain our top priorities, guiding all our actions. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of corporate governance," he added. He said the energy sector of India stands at an inflection point. "The nation has an ambitious vision of becoming a USD 30 trillion developed economy by 2047. 'Viksit Bharat @2047' will necessitate an almost fourfold increase in primary energy demand." India's exponential growth trajectory will propel it to a pivotal role in the global energy market, accounting for roughly 12 per cent of world energy consumption by 2047. "The key strategic objectives for India in the energy sector will entail significant expansion in refining capacities, raising the share of gas in the energy basket from about 6 per cent to 15 per cent, establishing leadership in petrochemical exports, and sharply reducing energy imports from current levels of 47 per cent to below 25 per cent by 2030 and to zero by 2047," he said. India is targeting 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy capacity, sourcing half of its energy needs from renewables, reducing carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes and lowering carbon intensity by 45 per cent by 2030 with the ultimate goal of net-zero emissions by 2070. "Building on its strong Indian energy presence, BPCL aspires to meet 7-10 per cent of the nation's primary energy demand by 2047," he said.

BPCL planning Rs 1.7 lakh crore spend to expand core business, new energy foray over next five years

<ul><li>Last April, BPCL and other state fuel retailers froze retail petrol and diesel prices to cushion domestic consumers from rising international oil prices. </li><li>That freeze led to the three retailers suffering heavy losses in not just April-June 2022 but also in the subsequent quarter. </li><li>The consolidated net profit of ₹ 10,644.30 crore in April-June compared to a net loss of ₹ 6,147.94 crore in the same period last year. </li></ul>State-controlled <keyword id="155363" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bharat-petroleum-corporation-ltd" source="Orion">Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd</keyword> (BPCL) on Wednesday reported a net profit of ₹ 10,644 crore in the June quarter as a freeze on the retail selling price of petrol and diesel despite a fall in oil prices helped turn around fuel marketing margins. The consolidated net profit of ₹ 10,644.30 crore in April-June (first quarter of current 2023-24 fiscal year) compared to a net loss of ₹ 6,147.94 crore in the same period last year, according to a company's filing with the stock exchanges. The earning in the first quarter was 55 % higher than the net profit of ₹ 6,870.47 crore in the preceding January-March quarter. In early April last year, BPCL and other government-owned fuel retailers - Indian Oil Corporation (<keyword id="6354733" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ioc" source="Orion">IOC</keyword>) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (<keyword id="6362419" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hpcl" source="Orion">HPCL</keyword>) - froze retail petrol and diesel prices to cushion domestic consumers from rising international oil prices. That freeze led to the three retailers suffering heavy losses in not just April-June 2022 but also in the subsequent quarter. Margins on petrol and diesel turned positive following softening of international oil prices in the June quarter, but rates were not revised, and the companies recouped losses they incurred last year. The fall in oil prices meant that revenue from operations for BPCL dipped 7 % to ₹ 1.28 lakh crore. The company earned $12.64 on turning every barrel of crude oil into fuel during the quarter ended June 30 against a gross refining margin (GRM) of $27.51 per barrel in the same period last year, the filing said. BPCL also accounted for a ₹ 24.51 crore foreign exchange gain against a forex loss of ₹ 962.53 crore in April-June 2022. Its EBITDA rose 41.8 % quarter-on-quarter to ₹ 15,809.7 crore in April-June. The profit BPCL reported in April-June is multiple times higher than the total net profit of ₹ 2,892.34 crore in the full 2022-23. Freeze on petrol and diesel prices IOC, BPCL and HPCL temporarily abandoned the daily price revision last year and have not revised petrol and diesel prices in line with the cost. And the losses they incurred when the oil prices were higher than the retail selling prices are recouped with rates dropped. Officials said the three firms have been making positive margins on petrol since the fourth quarter of the 2022 calendar year but diesel, which accounts for the bulk of the fuel sales, had been in red. But in May, margins on diesel turned positive with a small 50 paise a litre profit, they said. International oil prices had spiked to $139 per barrel in March 2022 in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war. They cooled to $75 during May-June. At peak, oil firms lost ₹ 17.4 per litre on petrol and ₹ 27.7 a litre on diesel. In the October-December quarter, oil firms earned ₹ 10 a litre margin on petrol but lost ₹ 6.5 on diesel. In the following quarter, the margins on petrol moderated to ₹ 6.8 a litre while diesel earned ₹ 0.5 per litre. Officials said oil prices have firmed up this month, and the basket of crude oil that India buys has averaged $79.37 per barrel so far, making a reduction in rates difficult. Holding prices when input cost was higher than retail selling prices led to the three firms posting net earnings loss. They posted a combined net loss of ₹ 21,201.18 crore during April-September despite accounting for ₹ 22,000 crore announced but not paid LPG subsidy. International oil prices have been turbulent in the last couple of years. It dipped into the negative zone at the start of the pandemic in 2020 and swung wildly in 2022 -- climbing to a 14-year high of nearly $140 per barrel in March 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine before sliding on weaker demand from top importer China and worries of an economic contraction. But, for a nation that is 85 % dependent on imports, the spike meant adding to already firming inflation and derailing the economic recovery from the pandemic. So, the three fuel retailers, who control roughly 90 % of the market, froze petrol and diesel prices for the longest duration in at least two decades. They stopped daily price revision in early November 2021 when rates across the country hit an all-time high, prompting the government to roll back a part of the excise duty hike it had effected during the pandemic to take advantage of low oil prices. The freeze continued into 2022 but the war-led spike in international oil prices prompted a ₹ 10 a litre hike in petrol and diesel prices from mid-March before another round of excise duty cut rolled back all of the ₹ 13 a litre and ₹ 16 per litre increase in taxes on petrol and diesel effected during the pandemic. That followed the current price freeze that began on April 6, which still continues. (With inputs from PTI)

BPCL swings to profit of ₹10,644 cr in Q1 aided by freeze on retail selling prices

New Delhi, Mar 28 (PTI) Petrol price on Monday was hiked by 30 paise a litre and diesel by 35 paise, taking the total increase in rates in the last one week to Rs 4-4.10 per litre. Petrol in Delhi will now cost Rs 99.41 per litre as against Rs 99.11 previously while diesel rates have gone up from Rs 90.42 per litre to Rs 90.77, according to a price notification of state fuel retailers. Rates have been increased across the country and vary from state to state depending upon the incidence of local taxation. This is the sixth increase in prices since the ending of a four-and-half-month long hiatus in rate revision on March 22. In the first four four occasions, prices were increased by 80 paise a litre - the steepest single-day rise since the daily price revision was introduced in June 2017. On Sunday, petrol price went up by 50 paise a litre and diesel by 55 paise. In all, petrol prices have gone up by Rs 4 per litre and diesel by Rs 4.10. Prices had been on a freeze since November 4 ahead of the assembly elections in states like <keyword id="6357713" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="uttar-pradesh" source="Orion">Uttar Pradesh</keyword> and Punjab -- a period during which the cost of raw material (crude oil) soared by about USD 30 per barrel. The rate revision was expected soon after counting of votes on March 10 but it was put off by a couple of weeks. The increase in retail price warranted from crude oil prices rising during the 137 day hiatus from around USD 82 per barrel to USD 120 is huge but state-owned fuel retailers <keyword id="6356834" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="indian-oil-corporation" source="Orion">Indian Oil Corporation</keyword> (IOC), <keyword id="155363" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bharat-petroleum-corporation-ltd" source="Orion">Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd</keyword> (BPCL) and <keyword id="500127" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="hindustan-petroleum-corporation-ltd" source="Orion">Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd</keyword> (HPCL) are passing on the required increase in stages. Moody's Investors Services last week stated that state retailers together lost around USD 2.25 billion (Rs 19,000 crore) in revenue for keeping petrol and diesel prices on hold during the election period. Oil companies "will need to raise diesel prices by Rs 13.1-24.9 per litre and Rs 10.6-22.3 a litre on gasoline (petrol) at an underlying crude price of USD 100-120 per barrel," according to Kotak Institutional Equities. CRISIL Research said a Rs 9-12 per litre increase in retail price will be required for a full pass-through of an average USD 100 per barrel crude oil and Rs 15-20 a litre hike if the average crude oil price rises to USD 110-120. India is 85 per cent dependent on imports for meeting its oil needs and so retail rates adjust accordingly to the global movement. PTI ANZ RUP SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/two-day-bharat-bandh-essential-services-likely-to-be-affected/articleshow/90486188.cms">Two-day Bharat Bandh: Essential services likely to be affected</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/how-this-former-vedantu-cofounder-is-taking-on-instagram-and-snapchat-to-build-social-media-for-teens/articleshow/90443442.cms">How this former Vedantu cofounder is taking on Instagram and Snapchat to build social media for teens</a>

Petrol, diesel prices hiked for the sixth time in two weeks

Mumbai, Shares of the state-run petroleum major <keyword id="9997688" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="bharat-petroleum-corp-ltd-">Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd.</keyword> (BPCL) fell nearly five per cent a day after the deadline for submitting bids for the strategic sale of the company ended. Investor sentiments dampened as major energy giants including <keyword id="6355199" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-industries">Reliance Industries</keyword>, <keyword id="152170" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Saudi-Aramco">Saudi Aramco</keyword>, <keyword id="32848" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BP">BP</keyword> gave the bidding process a miss and did not submit <keyword id="81620" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Expressions-of-interest">Expressions of Interest</keyword> for the 52.98 per cent of the stake on sale. Shares of BPCL on the BSE plunged 4.9 per cent to touch an intra-day low of Rs 392.35 per share. At 10.54 a.m., it was at Rs 397.70, lower by 3.63 per cent from its previous close. The government on Monday said that multiple EoIs have been received for divestment of Centre's stake in the company. Sources, however, said that several global players did not pitch in for the stake sale. Total and Russia's Rosneft also did not bid for the stake sale. The lack of interest among the major players comes on the back of the poor oil demand globally amid the pandemic and low oil prices. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/moderna-says-its-coronavirus-vaccine-is-94-5-effective-against-covid-19-a-crucial-victory-in-the-fight-against-the-pandemic/articleshow/79247349.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink"> Moderna says its coronavirus vaccine is 94.5% effective against COVID-19, a crucial victory in the fight against the pandemic</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/dow-soars-375-points-to-near-record-as-modernas-vaccine-update-boosts-investor-optimism/articleshow/79249468.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Dow soars 450 points to new record as Moderna's vaccine update boosts investor optimism</a>

BPCL shares plunge 5% as major energy companies including RIL, Saudi Aramco and BP skip the race for stake sale

The cash-strapped government will gain close to Rs 1.6 lakh crore in additional revenues this fiscal from a record increase in excise duty on <keyword id="6367091" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="petrol">petrol</keyword> and <keyword id="6356109" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="diesel">diesel</keyword>, that will help make up for revenue it lost in a slowing economy and shutting down of businesses due to <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> lockdown. Late on Tuesday evening, the government hiked excise duty on petrol by Rs 10 per litre and that on diesel by Rs 13 a litre to mop up gains arising from international oil prices falling to a two-decade low. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75563385" title="The excise duty on petrol rises by ₹10 and on diesel by ₹13 starting May 6" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> This is the second hike in excise duty in less than two months and will help government garner over Rs 1.7 lakh crore in additional revenues annually at 2019-20 level of consumption, industry officials said. Considering the slump in consumption due to travel restrictions imposed by coronavirus lockdown, the gains in the remaining 11 months of the current fiscal year (April 2020 to March 2021) will be close to Rs 1.6 lakh crore, they said. Together with Rs 39,000 crore in annual revenues gained from the March 14 excise duty hike of Rs 3 per litre each on petrol and diesel, the government stands to gain as much as Rs 2 lakh crore. State-owned fuel retailing companies, <keyword id="59622" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Oil-Corp">Indian Oil Corp</keyword> (IOC), <keyword id="170673" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Petroleum-Corp-Ltd">Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd</keyword> (BPCL) and <keyword id="6374014" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindustan-petroleum">Hindustan Petroleum</keyword> Corp Ltd (HPCL) had frozen petrol and diesel prices since March 16, as if anticipating the government move and will now set off gains they accrued from continuing drop in international oil prices against the excise duty hike. Officials said normally retail prices would have changed with any revision in taxes but like March 14, there is no change as the excise duty hike is being adjusted against the gains consumers should have got from Brent crude oil dipping to about USD 18 per barrel - the lowest since 1999. Commenting on the excise duty hike, Vikas Halan, Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance, Moody's Investors Service, said: "Government of India's increase in petrol and diesel taxes by USD 21/barrel and USD 27/ barrel respectively will result in government's tax collection increasing by about USD 21 billion, if the tax hike is maintained for full year. "This reinforces the importance of oil marketing companies to the government of India and validates the support incorporated in our credit assessment of these companies. The tax hike could result in higher working capital outflow for the oil marketing companies, which will partly offset the working capital savings from lower inventory costs." According to a notification issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, special additional excise duty on petrol has been hiked by Rs 2 per litre and road cess has been hiked by Rs 8 a litre. In case of diesel, special additional excise duty has been hiked by Rs 5 per litre and road cess has been raised by Rs 8 a litre. With this, the total incidence of excise duty on petrol has risen to Rs 32.98 per litre and that on diesel to Rs 31.83. Petrol costs Rs 71.26 a litre in Delhi and a litre of diesel comes for Rs 69.39. Central excise duty makes up for 46 per cent of petrol and diesel price now. After considering local sales tax or VAT, the total tax incidence in the price is as high as 60 per cent. The excise tax on petrol was Rs 9.48 per litre when the Modi government took office in 2014 and that on diesel was Rs 3.56 a litre. The government had between November 2014 and January 2016 raised excise duty on petrol and diesel on nine occasions to take away gains arising from plummeting global oil prices. In all, duty on petrol rate was hiked by Rs 11.77 per litre and that on diesel by 13.47 a litre in those 15 months that helped government's excise mop up more than double to Rs 2,42,000 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 99,000 crore in 2014-15. It cut excise duty by Rs 2 in October 2017 and by Rs 1.50 a year later. But it raised excise duty by Rs 2 per litre in July 2019. It again raised excise duty on March 14 by Rs 3 per litre. In preparation for the excise duty hike, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had at the fag end of the Budget session of Parliament took the authorisation to raise excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 8 per litre each in future. Sitharaman through an amendment to the Finance Bill, 2020 raised the limit up to which the government can raise special excise duty on petrol and diesel to Rs 18 per litre and Rs 12 per litre, respectively. The March 14 excise duty hike included Rs 2 a litre increase in special additional excise duty and Re 1 in road and infrastructure cess. This hike took the special additional excise duty to maximum permissible limit in law - Rs 10 in case of petrol and Rs 4 in case of diesel. This, through an amendment to the Eighth Schedule of the Finance Act, was increased to Rs 18 per litre in case of petrol and Rs 12 in case of diesel. Government sources said the Centre has taken this step of increasing duty to raise some revenue in view of a tight fiscal situation. This would help in generating the resources to meet expense of coronavirus fight as well as meet other spending needs such as on infrastructure. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75569073" title="Fear and loathing in shopping malls⁠ — the owners call for help in the fight for survival from the coronavirus crash" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

India to gain ₹1.6 lakh crore this fiscal from record excise duty hike on petrol, diesel

Betul (Goa), <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword> is likely to sign a USD 78 billion deal to extend <keyword id="19905315" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lng" source="keywords">LNG</keyword> imports from Qatar by another 20 years till 2048 at rates lower than current prices, sources said. <keyword id="20475720" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="petronet-lng-ltd" source="keywords">Petronet LNG Ltd</keyword>, India's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer, is likely to sign a deal with QatarEnergy to extend a 2004 deal to buy 7.5 million tonne a year of gas for producing electricity, making fertilizers and converting to CNG, on the sidelines of India Energy Week (IEW) here. Sources said the renewal is at a "significantly" lower price than the current deal. At current prices, India will save about USD 0.8 per million British thermal unit at the renewed terms. <keyword id="20387238" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="petronet" source="keywords">Petronet</keyword> imports 8.5 million tonne per year (MTPA) of LNG from Qatar under two contracts. The first 25-year deal is to expire in 2028 and is now being extended for 20 additional years. The second deal for 1 MTPA entered into in 2015, will be negotiated separately, sources said. Qatar's energy minister and top officials of QatarEnergy are attending the IEW here. India, the world's third biggest energy consumer, sees natural gas as a transition fuel for migrating to net zero carbon emissions by 2070. As part of this, the government is targeting to raise the share of natural gas in the country's energy mix to 15 per cent by 2030 from 6.3 per cent now. Sources said the current deal is priced at 12.67 per cent of prevailing Brent crude oil prices plus a fixed component of USD 0.52 per million British thermal unit. Under the new contract, the slope would remain more or less the same but the fixed charge of USD 0.52 would be scrapped, they said. Also, India will save an additional USD 0.30 per mmBtu on shipping charges as Qatar has agreed to convert the deal to Delivered Ex Ship (DES) from Free on Board (FOB), thereby undertaking responsibility of shipping. At USD 80 per barrel Brent crude oil price, the annual 7.5 MTPA import will cost USD 3.9 billion annually and over a 20-year period it would total to over USD 78 billion. While 7.5 MTPA of LNG is bought by Petronet, the firm's promoters state-owned Indian Oil Corp (<keyword id="19942852" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ioc" source="keywords">IOC</keyword>), Bharat Petroleum and GAIL (India) buy a combined 1 MTPA of LNG. Sources said the new deal will allow the Indian buyers to decide which terminal in India will receive cargoes. Under existing deals, Qatar delivers LNG at Dahej in Gujarat. Sources said the freedom to decide on the arrival terminal will result in additional savings in cost for transporting the fuel through pipelines within the Indian grid.

India to sign $78 billion deal to extend Qatar LNG imports

Share prices of the oil marketing companies (OMC) dropped on Tuesday with the scrip of privatisation-bound <keyword id="155363" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Petroleum-Corporation-Ltd">Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd</keyword> (<keyword id="44555" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="BPCL">BPCL</keyword>) falling over 5 per cent. At 2.16 p.m., BPCL shares on the BSE were trading at ₹441.05, lower by ₹25.95 or 5.56 per cent from its previous close. Its shares fell amid reports of the company selling 4 per cent of treasury shares worth ₹3,774 crore in a bulk deal. Shares of other OMCs also declined on Tuesday with stocks of <keyword id="458519" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Oil-Corporation-ltd">Indian Oil Corporation Ltd</keyword> (<keyword id="181809" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="IOCL">IOCL</keyword>) trading 3.67 per cent lower at ₹99.75 per share. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation's (<keyword id="6362419" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="hpcl">HPCL</keyword>) shares were trading at ₹234.60, lower by 3.62 per cent from its previous close. Further, revenues of OMCs are likely to remain under pressure for some time now as official sources indicated that with fuel price rise becoming an election issue, the Centre would not like to further escalate the matter with more increases in the auto fuel prices required in the wake of firming of prices in the global oil market. The halt in retail price hikes, at a time when crude oil prices are surging would put immense pressure on the margins of the oil marketing companies, experts said. The May delivery contract of Brent crude on the Intercontinental Exchange is currently trading above $68 per barrel. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/craftsman-automation-has-fixed-a-price-band-of-14881490-a-share-for-its-150-crore-ipo/articleshow/81408729.cms">Auto components maker Craftsman Automation’s ₹150 crore IPO to hit the capital markets next week — price band fixed at ₹1,488–1,490</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-is-using-the-quad-alliance-to-get-help-from-the-us-japan-and-australia-to-match-chinas-covid-19-vaccine-push/articleshow/81408044.cms">India is asking the QUAD for money to boost vaccine production and counter China’s moves on the global stage</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/elon-musks-net-worth-has-eroded-60-billion-in-just-two-months-as-teslas-market-cap-falls-35/articleshow/81407453.cms">Elon Musk’s wealth has eroded $60 billion in just two months as Tesla's market cap falls 35%</a>

Bharat Petroleum plunge 5% amid reports of the company selling 4% of treasury shares

New Delhi, Oil sector public sector undertakings (PSUs) may have to bear a <keyword id="9705803" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="larger-share">larger share</keyword> of <keyword id="10488841" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="additional-dividend-payment">additional dividend payment</keyword> to the government this year with almost all companies falling behind on their capex plan for the current fiscal. As of November, the capex of PSU oil companies put together stands at ₹46,303 crore, less than 50% of the annual target of ₹98,522 crore. The government has asked companies to complete at least 75% of capex till the end of December quarter. But this looks highly unlikely now pushing the case for higher dividend payout. In meetings with PSUs, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had stressed on the need for PSUs to step up <keyword id="6355120" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="investment">investment</keyword> during the time of the pandemic to boost overall sentiments and kickstart investment climate in the country. She had specifically urged companies to complete at least 75% of capex target by December-end and more than 100% by March. "It is a double whammy for PSUs now. They have to cough up more either through investments or through payment of additional dividends. It should also be seen that the companies are finding it difficult to meet capex targets given financial and project implementation constraints. Covid has severely dented demand and slowed project implementation. Consequently, there is already a strain on their resources that would get heightened as additional dividend would have to be paid," said a top official of a PSU, asking not to be named. While almost all PSUs are facing delays and difficulties in stepping up the gas and increasing investments, the situation among companies in the oil and gas sector looks worse. Slow demand conditions in early part of the year resulted in slowing of several capex plans. Though the situation has improved from November onwards, still its a long way to go for normalcy to return in the sector. For the government, oil sector PSUs are also set to make big inventory gains due to firming up of crude prices, and hence they are being looked at for higher interim dividend or special dividend and a few may also be considered for share buyback depending on market conditions. Among the oil and gas PSUs, the worse performer in terms of capex spend is the country's largest oil and gas explorer ONGC and largest public sector refiner <keyword id="6356834" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-oil-corporation">Indian Oil Corporation</keyword>. According to oil ministry's <keyword id="819806" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Petroleum-Planning-and-Analysis">Petroleum Planning and Analysis</keyword> Cell (PPAC), while ONGC had completed just ₹14,959 crore worth of capex upto November out of FY21 investment target of ₹32,502 crore, IOC's capex upto November is ₹12,104 crore against annual target of ₹26,233 crore. Similarly, HPCL has completed capex of ₹5,658 crore (upto November) against target of ₹11,500 crore; Gail India - ₹2,614 crore against annual target of ₹5,412 crore; Oil India - ₹2,136 crore vs ₹3,877 crore target; MRPL - ₹631 crore vs ₹1,150 crore, OVL - ₹3,765 crore vs ₹7,235 crore. Among the worst performer on capex is privatisation-bound <keyword id="155363" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Petroleum-Corporation-Ltd">Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd</keyword> (BPCL) which has spent just ₹3,716 crore against target of ₹9,000 crore. Officials sources said that PSUs with stock prices higher than the book value and who have sufficient cash funds may also be asked to shell higher dividend in FY21. A call will be taken after the third quarter results of companies are declared late January or early February next year. With the central government being the largest shareholders in PSUs, higher dividend would largely help it to fill its coffers at a time when revenue is constrained due to a overall fall in economic activity during the pandemic while expenditure has risen sharply. Dividend from non-financial PSUs have been budgeted at ₹65,747 crore in FY21. Any increase in this will give a boost to non-tax revenue of the government and help its bridge the rising fiscal deficit that as per initial estimate is now pegged close to 8% of GDP. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her predecessors, including the late Arun Jaitley and P. Chidambaram, had maintained the policy of advising non-financial state-owned companies that if they are not utilising their cash reserves for capex needs, they should give it to the Centre through dividends or share buybacks. As per the guidelines issued by disinvestment department DIPAM, every CPSE is required to pay a minimum annual dividend of 30% of PAT or 5% of the net-worth, whichever is higher. Apart from oil sector, several PSUs in power and mining space have completed just about 40% annual capex by November due to constrained business environment. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-mrs-bectors-ril-bharti-airtel-vodafone-idea-ilfs-interglobe-aviation-future-group-deepak-nitrite-jubilant-foodworks-and-others/articleshow/79933826.cms">Top stocks to watch – Mrs Bectors, RIL, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, IL&amp;FS, InterGlobe Aviation, Future Group, Deepak Nitrite, Jubilant FoodWorks, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/from-taking-on-yahoo-to-being-tamed-by-chinas-communist-party-its-been-a-roller-coaster-decade-for-jack-ma/slidelist/79935613.cms">From taking on Yahoo to being tamed by China’s Communist Party— it’s been a roller coaster decade for Jack Ma</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/ey-is-looking-to-hire-9000-techies-in-2021-to-boost-its-digital-services/articleshow/79936576.cms">EY is looking to hire 9,000 techies in 2021 to boost its digital services</a>

Revenue constrained government may push oil PSUs short on FY21 capex to pay higher dividend

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) is keen to acquire India's third-biggest fuel retailer <keyword id="6362419" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="HPCL">HPCL</keyword> in a Rs 42,254 crore deal after finding <keyword id="75662" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bharat-Petroleum">Bharat Petroleum</keyword> Corp Ltd (BPCL) too expensive to buy, according to a news report by PTI. Following up on Finance Minister <keyword id="42575" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arun-Jaitley">Arun Jaitley</keyword>'s Budget announcement of creating an integrated oil company, ONGC evaluated options of acquiring either <keyword id="170674" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hindustan-Petroleum-Corp-Ltd">Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd</keyword> (HPCL) or BPCL - the two downstream oil refining and fuel marketing companies. While acquiring either one of them made a lot of business sense, ONGC found the nation's second-biggest fuel retailer, BPCL too expensive, sources privy to the development said. BPCL has a market cap of Rs 1,01,738 crore and buying government's 54.93 per cent would along have entailed an outgo of Rs 55,885 crore. So, ONGC is in favour of acquiring HPCL, which has a market cap of Rs 54,797 crore and buying government's entire 51.11 per cent stake would entail an outgo of Rs 28,006 crore. Another Rs 14,000 crore or so would be required in case open offer has to be made. Sources said while initially the government was looking at creating an integrated oil company through merge of an oil producer with a refiner, the idea was dropped for the fear of not repeating of the Air India-Indian Airlines merger. Similar differences in work culture and ethos prevail in upstream and downstream firms and so the exercise under consideration now is to only help government mop up resources and HPCL would become a mere subsidiary of ONGC. ONGC already has a refining subsidiary in Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemcials Ltd (MPRL). Sources said an open offer to buy another 26 per cent stake from other shareholders of HPCL would at current price cost ONGC another Rs 14,247 crore. As per Sebi's takeover code, if a company acquires more than 25 per cent in another listed company, it has to make an open offer to buy at least 26 per cent more in the target firm. Some reports have suggested that ONGC buying government stake in HPCL may not trigger an open-offer rule as the government's holding is being transferred to another state-run firm and the ownership is not going to change. But sources said that way back in February 2002, state- owned <keyword id="59622" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Oil-Corp">Indian Oil Corp</keyword> (<keyword id="6354733" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="IOC">IOC</keyword>) had acquired government's 33.58 per cent stake in fuel retailer IBP Co Ltd for Rs 1,153.68 crore and had to make an open offer for additional shares. Both IOC and IBP were government owned companies. Sources said the oil ministry and ONGC may try and seek exemption from the open offer to keep the acquisition cost low. ONGC has cash reserve of Rs 13,014 crore and to fund the government stake acquisition in HPCL it will have to borrow at least Rs 18,000 crore, they said. If the open offer is made, additional borrowings would have to be done. There are only six major companies in the oil sector - ONGC and Oil India Ltd being the oil producers, Indian Oil Corp (IOC), HPCL and BPCL in refinery business and GAIL in midstream gas transportation business. The rest such as ONGC Videsh, Chennai Petroleum Corp (CPCL), Numaligarh Refinery Ltd and MRPL are already subsidiaries of one of these six PSUs. Sources said the options were very limited and ONGC chose HPCL over BPCL. HPCL will add 23.8 million tonnes of annual oil refining capacity to ONGC's portfolio, making it the third-largest refiner in the country after IOC and Reliance Industries. ONGC already is majority owner of MRPL, which has a 15- million tons refinery. Sources said ONGC buying HPCL will require two sets of Cabinet approval - one where the government approves sale of its all or part of its 51.11 per cent stake to ONGC, and the other for allowing ONGC to spend the money on stake buy.

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Bharat Petroleum plunge 5% amid reports of the company selling 4% of treasury shares

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Revenue constrained government may push oil PSUs short on FY21 capex to pay higher dividend

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