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A new challenge for upstream oil cos
Wed, 21 Mar Pre-Open

The role of energy sector in India's growth can hardly be overemphasized. The sector has been dragging its feet on account of stifling policies like irrational taxes and regulated petroleum product prices (barring petrol) in the country. The Government had long been avoiding price hikes in the petroleum products for fear of offending the public due to state elections. The Budget looked like it was its chance to address the woes of this critical sector of the Indian economy.

However, going by what it has offered, it can best be described as an opportunity not just missed, but reversed to make things even tougher for the sector. To keep its fiscal balances in order, the Government has chosen to shift the burden to oil production companies. It has increased the cess on crude oil from Rs 2,500 per tonne to Rs 4,500 per tonne, a whopping increase of 80%.While the Government will be a direct beneficiary as a result of this, the step will amount to a direct hit of above US$ 5 per barrel at the net realization level for oil production companies such as Oil India, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC) and Cairn India.

And this is just one side of the irrational planning in the sector. Despite crude prices going very high, deregulation seems unlikely and the Government has made provision of just Rs 438 bn for FY13 towards subsidies for the sector. This compares to under recoveries worth Rs 780 bn in FY11 and expected under recoveries of Rs 1,400 bn for FY12. Needless to say, as oil prices go on increasing, the ultimate burden will be borne by upstream companies only.

To conclude, the Budget has an overall negative impact as far as the oil and gas sector is concerned. Now, the only thing that the sector can count on will be weakening of global oil prices and a reasonable hike, if not deregulation, in the petroleum product prices.

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