Transparent policies in India for investment in energy: Pradhan

PTI

Seeking to provide affordable energy to the Indian consumers, the government has introduced transparent policies through the deregulated market for global players to invest in refineries and petrochemical plants, Oil and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said here today.

Launching a road show which offers 67 discovered small fields, clustered into 46 contract areas, for production and supply of oil and gas to the Indian market, he said India is seeking global investors for its energy sector to create competition in the domestic market with the main objective of providing competitively priced products to the consumers.

"Consumers are the kings in India. We want to provide affordable energy to our consumers," Pradhan said, stressing that participation by big energy players like Saudi Aramco, Shell, British Petroleum, Rosneft among others is important for developing and industrialising the energy sector in India.

He was confident of attracting global investors, saying international energy companies were eyeing the Indian market, which has the fastest energy demand growth in the world.

"Rosneft (for one) is eyeing Indian market," Pradhan said, pointing to the Russian energy group's ongoing negotiations with India's Essar Group for participating in the refining sector.

"When we are talking about free and transparent policies, we have to open our market. Consciously, we have deregulated our market and we are giving gradually price and marketing freedom to the investors," he told reporters after launching a Road Show on India's discovered small fields.

India has introduced transparent policies through the deregulated market for international investors to invest in refineries and petrochemical plants. This would help provide affordable energy to the Indian consumers, Pradhan said.

He has brought a delegation of senior ministry officials and chief executives of corporations in India to see how Singapore had developed the Jurong Petrochemical complex among other energy facilities.

A delegation comprising senior oil ministry officials and chief executives of corporations is here to see how Singapore has developed the Jurong Petrochemical complex. Its objectives are to develop deeper relationships with companies here.

"Singapore and India can jointly partner for the mutual growth (and benefits)," Pradhan said.

The road show offers 67 discovered small fields, clustered into 46 contract areas, for production and supply of oil and gas to the Indian market.