Gas price hike may lift ONGC by Rs 1,500 crore in H1

The price paid to most of natural gas produced from domestic fields will be $3.06 per million British thermal unit (mmBtu) for six months, beginning April 1, from current $2.89, according to a recent notification issued by oil ministry s Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell.

"Natural gas contributed around 45 per cent of ONCG s total crude oil and natural gas production volume in fiscal 2017."

"Assuming natural gas sales volume of around 10 billion cubic meters for the first six months of fiscal 2019 for ONGC and its joint venture partners, ONGC s natural gas revenue will increase 23 per cent to Rs 80 billion (Rs 8000 crore) for the six months between 1 April and 30 September 2018, from a reported Rs 65 billion (Rs 6500 crore) the year before", Moody s said in its credit outlook issued on Thursday.

The government revises domestic natural gas prices every six months using a pricing formula based on a volume-weighted annual average of prices prevailing in Henry Hub (US), National Balancing Point (UK excluding Russia), Alberta (Canada) and Russia, it added.

India s oil and gas producers, including ONGC, are unlikely to increase gas production over the next 12-18 months because most of the discovered resources will take at least another two to three years to reach production, the report opined.

ONGC, accounted for 70 per cent of the country s natural gas production on a standalone basis for fiscal 2017.

"We expect India s LNG imports to increase because domestic production growth will lag the growth in domestic demand for LNG. India s oil and gas producers, including ONGC, are unlikely to increase gas production over the next 12-18 months because most of the discovered resources will take at least another two to three years to reach production," the report said.