The Hindu Business Line : Deora seeks more crude from Nigeria

India has pressed its case for more crude oil supplies from Nigeria with the Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Mr Murli Deora, taking up the issue during a bilateral meeting with Dr Edmund Daukoru, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources of Nigeria and the current President of OPEC Conference, in Vienna. Mr Deora is there in connection with the Third OPEC International Seminar.

According to an official communiqué released here, Mr Deora, during his meeting with Mr Daukoru, emphasised the need for increasing the volume of crude oil imports by Indian Oil Corporation on term contract basis. The Nigerian Minister is reported to have said that Nigerian crude oil production was on the increase and agreed to favourably consider enhancing the term contract volume as and when additional volumes become available. Dr Daukoru also sought Indian investment in the downstream oil sector in Nigeria and in this regard, Mr Deora pointed out that the MoU signed between Indian Oil Corp and Edo state of Nigeria for setting up of a refinery should be put on fast track.

In another meeting with Mr Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Energy and Industry, Qatar, Mr Deora reiterated India's keen interest for additional volume of LNG. Mr Deora sought active participation of Qatar in the Indian hydrocarbon and petrochemical sector through appropriate investments.

During Mr Deora's meeting with the Iraqi Oil Minister, Mr Hussain Al-Shahristani, the Iraqi Minister invited active participation of India in the downstream sector of that country. Mr Deora said that India would fully support Iraq in its reconstruction, including active participation by Indian companies in the downstream oil sector in that country. He said that ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) had already started working on the exploration Block 8 in Iraq where the work was suspended in the wake of the war. OVL is keen to restart the work.

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