India Will Weigh What Russia Has to Offer on Sakhalin-1 Ownership Revamp

Marianna Parraga and Gary McWilliams
Tuesday, October 11, 2022

India maintains a "healthy dialogue" with Russia and will look at what is offered following an announced ownership revamp to the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told Reuters.   

Russia last week issued a decree allowing it to seize Exxon Mobil's 30% stake and gave a Russian state-run company the authority to decide whether foreign shareholders including India's ONGC Videsh can retain their participation in the project. 

"We’ll look at what is the state of play and what’s on offer," Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told Reuters in an interview on Monday following meetings with U.S. oil executives in Houston.

India is "actively monitoring" Saudi Arabia's Asia premium over oil prices after OPEC+ last week agreed to cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day beginning next month, Puri said. 

"At the end of the day, consumers start playing a role when situations like this evolve,” he said referring to global energy balance and the "unintended consequences" of the OPEC+ decision. Too high oil prices could exacerbate inflation and tip the global economy in recession, reducing oil demand, he added.

On the proposed European Union price cap on Russian oil purchases, he suggested it is not yet firm. “If the Europeans come with a plan, let’s see how it evolves," he said.     

Puri this week met U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Energy Security adviser Amos Hochstein in Washington, where they discussed collaborations on biofuels and clean energy in addition to energy security.   

"At no stage have we ever been told not to buy Russian oil," he said, referring to talks with officials on global energy supplies.   

In Houston, he met executives from Exxon Mobil, oilfield service provider Baker Hughes, and with liquefied natural gas producers after launching a bidding round for offshore oil and gas exploration areas.

India is interested in the U.S companies' technical expertise in offshore production, ethanol and sulfur recovery in oil refineries, Puri added. 

"For getting to green energy, you have to survive the present," he said. 

There are also discussions underway with Guyana, Brazil and Colombia for joint investment and extra supplies of crude for Indian refiners, he said.  

 (Reporting by Marianna Parraga and Gary McWilliams; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

Categories: Energy People Industry News Activity Production Asia Regulations

Related Stories

CIP, ACEN Partner Up for First Large-Scale Offshore Wind Farm in Philippines

Petronas, Inpex Secure Oil and Gas Exploration Rights off Indonesia

Mubadala Energy Open to Sell Andaman Gas for Domestic Use

Turkey Discovers New Black Sea Gas Reserve

Indonesia Grants Approval to Kuwaiti Firm for Anambas Block in Natuna Sea

INEOS Wraps Up Acquisition of CNOOC’s US Oil and Gas Assets

CNOOC Sees 11% Profit Growth in 2024 Driven by Record Oil Production

EnerMech Names APAC Regional Chief

CNOOC Brings Online Second Phase of Luda Oil Field Project in Bohai Sea

ONGC and BP Sign Deal to Boost Production at India's Largest Offshore Oil Field

Current News

OMV Exits Ghasha Gas Project off UAE with Lukoil Stake Sale

China's Sinopec Laucnhes $690M Hydrogen Venture Capital Funds

CIP, ACEN Partner Up for First Large-Scale Offshore Wind Farm in Philippines

Valeura Concludes Eight-Well Drilling Campaign in Gulf of Thailand

Three Dead in Chevron's Angolan Oil Patform Fire

BW Opal FPSO Vessel set for Work off Australia

Keyfield Ventures into Indonesia’s Oil and Gas Market with New Partner

Fire Contained at Vietnamese Oil Platform Undergoing Decommissioning (Video)

Velesto’s Jack-Up Rig Set for Drilling Job off Indonesia

Petronas, Inpex Secure Oil and Gas Exploration Rights off Indonesia

Subscribe for AOG Digital E‑News

AOG Digital E-News is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

https://accounts.newwavemedia.com