Govt puts hefty USD1 bn burden on ONGC-Oil India

NEW DELHI. Government-owned explorers ONGC and Oil India face an additional royalty burden of more than USD1 billion after the Narendra Modi government decided that they would have to pay royalty to crude oil-producing states such as Assam, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu at ‘pre-discount’ rates. 
 
“It has been decided that ONGC and Oil India will pay royalty to all similarly placed crude oil-producing states at pre-discount prices effective February 1, 2014, pending the outcome of the special leave appeal filed by ONGC before the Supreme Court,” said a petroleum ministry order dated July 15. 
 
This means ONGC and Oil India would have to pay royalty to the states based on their gross realisation on sale of crude oil and not on the net price. This is despite the fact that the shift from gross to net price for royalty was made in 2008, in concurrence with the petroleum ministry. 
 
The difference between the gross and net price is the subsidy burden borne by these upstream companies to compensate state-run IOC, HPCL and BPCL for selling sensitive petroleum products below market cost. Though the exact additional burdens on ONGC and Oil India because of the ministry’s stance are not immediately known, officials say their combined additional payout would be USD1 billion.

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