Deora to inaugurate seminar on expanding gas market tomorrow

New Delhi, Apr 15 (UNI) Petroleum Minister Murli Deora will inaugurate a one-day seminar on India's expanding gas market here tomorrow.

The event being organised by Reliance Industries Ltd-funded Observer Research Foundation (ORF), will seek partcipation from many international scholars.

Gas Strategies Group Ltd Chairperson Clare Spottiswoode, Mr David G Victor, director of the Programme on Energy and Sustainable Development at Stanford University, Gas Strategies Group Chief Executive Officer Pat Breen and Mr Paul C Deemer, one of the top gas lawyers of the world with broad experience in Chinese oil, natural gas and electricity projects, will attend the function.

Various issues and problems regarding the country's energy requirements will be discussed at the seminar.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will deliver the key note address. Petroleum Secretary Anil Razdan, Directorate General of Hydrocarbons Director General V K Sibal, ONGC acting CMD R S Sharma will also be present on the ocassion.

At present, natural gas commands barely nine per cent in the country's primary energy mix against a global average of around 25 per cent.

India has one of the lowest pipeline concentration in the world, with the Hazira-Bijapur-Jagdishpur (HBJ) pipeline being the only cross country pipeline covering north and the west markets.

Though the country has huge reserves of natural gas, lack of investments with regulatory environment not conducive for investment, and limited use of state-of-the-art technology has led to good exploration of only 18 per cent of sedimentary basins, an ORF statement said.

UNI