Gazprom-GAIL deal will be sorted out soon: Hardeep Puri
Petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday said the government is hopeful that Russia’s Gazprom deal with the state-run Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) (India) to supply Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) will be sorted out soon. The minister while addressing the press at the world LPG day also said, “India can’t be pressurised, we will purchase oil from wherever available at a reasonable price. Both the parties are discussing this issue (Gazprom and GAIL deal). I hope it will be resolved soon,” said Puri. Gazprom’s former subsidiary Gazprom Marketing and Trading Singapore (GMTS) signed an agreement with GAIL to supply 2.5 million tonnes (MT) of LNG per annum for 20 years starting 2018-19. However, following the Ukraine and Russia war, Gazprom stopped supply.
Retired BPCL chairman Arun Kumar Singh to be next head of ONGC
BPCL’s former chairman Arun Kumar Singh is likely to be the new chairman of India’s top oil and gas producer ONGC according to PTI sources He retired from BPCL after attaining the superannuation age last month and was already selected to head the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) before the August 27 interviews. The will be first time that a person aged over 60 will be heading a top PSU board-level position. Big name in Oil refining market, Singh was chosen by a search-cum-selection committee, constituted by the oil ministry. They zeroed in on Singh after interviewing six candidates on August 27, 2022. If his selection is approved, Singh will be heading cash-rich PSU (Public Sector Unit) for three years. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is without a regular chairman and managing director since April 2021 and the senior most director on the board has been entrusted with the additional charge. Since then, the firm has seen a record three interim heads.