Sydney, June 27: Inviting Australian companies to participate in India's exploration and production of oil and gas, Union Minister for Petroleum and Gas Ram Naik on Thursday offered the country's technological expertise in building a compressed natural gas (CNG) system for Perth and other cities. "We requested the Western Australian Premier Geoff Gallop to encourage Australian companies to participate in our offer of exploration and production of oil and gas in India," Naik, who is leading a high-level delegation to Perth, told.

In his interaction with Gallop and Minister for Small Business, Tourism and State Development Clive Brown, the Minister informed them about the use of CNG in 80,000 vehicles in India.
The Minister offered India's knowhow in building a CNG system for Perth and other Australian cities.
Naik also said that India has launched the second round of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) exploration offering nine blocks. In CBM, India and Australia are key players.

Earlier, the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) IV Road show was launched in Perth, which is the base for many Australian and multinational energy and petroleum companies. Bureau Report