EGoM skips Anil’s plants
July 28: The much-talked meeting of a ministerial panel on Wednesday skipped the discussion on allocating natural gas to the Anil Ambani Group power plants even as it asked the oil ministry to indicate availability of the fuel in the next few years that can be assigned to new customers.
The empowered group of ministers (EGoM), headed by the finance minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, was presented a brief of the recent Supreme Court ruling in the Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Industries and ADA Group firm RNRL case by the additional solicitor general, Mr Mohan Parasaran.
“There was no mention of natural gas that has been sought by ADAG post the judgment,” a minister who attended the meeting said. ADAG has sought a minimum quantity of 28 million standard cubic metres per day of gas for 17 years for its power plants at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, Shahapur in Maharashtra, Samalkot in Andhra Pradesh and Jambusar in Gujarat. While Samalkot is an expansion of existing power plant, others are greenfield projects. “ADAG had indicated that Samalkot expansion plant will need gas by 2013. But no allocation was discussed for any unit,” he said.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, oil secretary, Mr S. Sundareshan, said: “The petroleum ministry is to indicate gas availability in coming years to department of fertiliser and ministry of Power. They will give their requirements, based on that we will again go to the EGoM.”
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