Month: April 2025

The government has increased excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre amid fluctuating global oil prices. The rise in excise duty will not impact Indian consumers due to recent cuts in fuel prices. Major oil marketing companies’ shares fell, and global crude benchmarks hit their lowest levels since April 2021.

Tata Power has received approval from the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission to install a 100-MW battery energy storage system in Mumbai. Over the next two years, the project will enhance power supply reliability to critical infrastructure and improve efficiency. The system will be strategically located and centrally monitored, with future integration into the Distributed Energy Resource Management System.

Oil prices have a low probability of falling below $60 per barrel, according to ONGC’s finance chief. Despite recent drops, ONGC is focusing on cost control to mitigate impacts, while high domestic gas prices may cushion the company’s profits if oil prices remain under $70 per barrel.

Naveen Jindal’s Jindal Power and Sev.en Global Investments are vying to acquire the 1,320-MW Jhajjar thermal power project from Apraava Energy as coal power demand increases. The asset is valued at approximately Rs 4,000 crore, and both companies are undergoing due diligence.

An OPEC+ ministerial meeting on Saturday is expected to leave oil output policy unchanged, following this week’s surprise move by eight member countries to accelerate the phasing out of oil cuts by increasing output by 411,000 barrels per day in May.

Global oil producers have 9 million barrels per day of spare capacity amid muted demand. ONGC Chairman Arun Singh highlighted that the world is shifting towards an era of plenty. With surplus capacity, exploration is being scaled back, yet India must continue exploring due to import dependency.

Reliance BP Mobility CEO Harish Mehta stated that the government will continue intervening in domestic fuel pricing to protect consumers from international market fluctuations. While petrol was deregulated in 2010 and diesel in 2014, recent events have disrupted this alignment.

BHEL and Adani Energy Solutions have partnered to develop a 6,000 MW HVDC transmission system from Bhadla, Rajasthan to Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, aimed for completion by 2029. This project supports India’s goal of achieving 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030 and will enhance grid stability and renewable energy integration.

The Supreme Court has asked the Environment Ministry if the deadline for Delhi’s ‘Category C’ power plants to comply with sulphur dioxide emission standards can be advanced from December 31, 2029. The bench led by Justice AS Oka aims to prevent repeated deadline extensions. Additionally, questions were raised regarding reclassification of thermal power plants within 300 km of Delhi.

Reliance Industries announced a ₹65,000 crore investment to set up 500 Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants in Andhra Pradesh. The initiative will utilize 500,000 acres of barren land in Prakasam, Anantapur, Chittoor, and Kadapa. Once operational, the plants are expected to generate 4 million tonnes of green CBG and 1.1 million metric tonnes of organic fertilizer annually.