New Delhi: A day after Petroleum Ministry
threw its weight behind NTPC in its legal fight against
Reliance Industries, Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Thursday
said his ministry had no differences on the issue with the Oil
Ministry.
"I don't think there is any difference between Petroleum
Ministry and Power Ministry on the RIL gas dispute," he told
reporters here.
NTPC has taken RIL to court seeking performance of a bid
by the Mukesh Ambani firm to supply 12 million standard cubic
meters per day of gas to its Kawas and Gandhar expansion
projects at USD 2.34 per mmBtu.
However, the Oil Ministry has opposed the same price in
case of supplies to be made to Anil Ambani Group firm RNRL on
the basis of a private family agreement.
Petroleum Secretary R S Pandey had yesterday told his
counterpart in the Power Ministry H S Brahma that NTPC's
"interests will be protected by all means."
Asked if NTPC may file a petition in the Supreme Court to
protect its interests, Shinde said: "It is left to NTPC to
decide."
He said USD 2.34 per mmBtu rates were quoted by RIL in a
NTPC tender of 2004 while the Government approved USD 4.2 per
mmBtu price for the company's gas only in 2007. And so RIL has
to honour its commitment.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, August 20, 2009, 11:47