June 25, 2019 | Shift Threat Quells Protest Against Aramco’s Giant Refinery: The 60 MTPA mega refinery in the state of Maharashtra is all set to become a reality. The threat of shifting the location to business friendly Gujarat coupled with the pro- Modi political climate in the state seems to have silenced its detractors. The new location was recommended even before the Lok Sabha election. The farmer’s protests against the location in the environmentally sensitive Ratnagiri district were genuine, but vested interests joined them to scuttle the project. For the Modi-government, the project is very important: this is the first project to attract huge investment from Saudi Aramco and Adnoc. Any failure to commission the project will send out wrong signals. Gujarat is inconvenient to those who were backing the protests in Maharashtra. Click Free Access column Petro Intelligence to read a comprehensive piece on the subject.

Iranian crude is reaching China, Turkey and Russia but not India because India has no transnational pipeline; several economies are slowing down which should send crude prices down; India’s LPG market will soon see several major private players; French major Total further strengthens its association with Adani group. ONGC is under tremendous pressure to increase production. These are among the five subjects in column Policy.

The state-owned gas transportation and distribution major, GAIL, will finally own a LNG regasification terminal. These are among the four subjects in column Regulation.