Pallab Bhattacharya, Author At Newscript EnergyWorld

The ESG Divide: India’s Corporate Leaders and Laggards

19Apr

By Pallab BhattacharyaNo Comments

ESG

The ESG Divide: India’s Corporate Leaders and Laggards

India’s technology and banking giants are setting global benchmarks in ESG performance, while state-owned energy firms and heavy industries struggle to meet net zero targets. The widening gap is reshaping capital access, competitiveness and the future of corporate sustainability in India. Technology drives India’s ESG leadership Infosys has achieved carbon neutrality in India for six consecutive years under PAS 2060 standards, with 39.6 per cent of its workforce women and nearly 30m sq ft of green-certified office space. Tata Consultancy Services has reduced emissions by 80 per cent since 2016, sourced 74 per cent of its electricity from renewables in FY24, and aims for net zero by 2030. Wipro and HCL Technologies also publish detailed BRSR disclosures, aligning with SEBI’s ESG report...

India’s Ethanol Gamble Tests Energy Policy and Consumer Patience

19Apr

By Pallab BhattacharyaNo Comments

ESG, Oil & Gas Industry

India’s Ethanol Gamble Tests Energy Policy and Consumer Patience

India’s nationwide rollout of E20 petrol—fuel blended with 20% ethanol—marks one of the most ambitious interventions in the country’s energy and agriculture strategy. Officials forecast annual foreign exchange savings of ₹43,000 crore, a cumulative ₹1.44 lakh crore since 2014, and direct payments of ₹40,000 crore to sugarcane farmers this year. Yet consumers and automakers are already confronting the practical costs of transition, while environmental and agricultural trade-offs sharpen the policy debate. Energy and farm economics The government says E20 has displaced 245 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil, cutting import costs and stabilising rural incomes. For sugarcane growers, surplus harvests now feed distilleries, easing payment delays and supporting local job creation. Policymakers fr...

Gas and aviation fuel tax reform tests GST Council’s resolve

19Apr

By Pallab BhattacharyaNo Comments

Oil & Gas Industry

Gas and aviation fuel tax reform tests GST Council’s resolve

Fiscal pressures and rising energy import dependence add urgency to long-standing reform debate. India’s GST Council convenes next week facing pressure to bring natural gas and aviation turbine fuel under its tax net — a decision that could reshape two critical sectors and offer relief from mounting fiscal pressures. The September 3-4 meeting will examine whether to end the anomalous treatment of both fuels, which remain outside the goods and services tax framework. Currently subject to a patchwork of state VAT and central excise duties, the arrangement has created what industry executives describe as a compliance nightmare. The timing couldn’t be more awkward. India’s energy import bill has climbed above $170bn annually with little sign of abating. With crude oil imports accounti...

India’s ESG awakening: where reality meets rhetoric

19Apr

By Pallab BhattacharyaNo Comments

ESG

India’s ESG awakening: where reality meets rhetoric

Walk into any Indian boardroom today and ESG is likely to come up within the first ten minutes. What started as a grudging nod to international investors has become something more urgent: a factor that determines whether companies can export to Europe, attract capital, or even retain customers. The numbers reflect this shift. Consumer surveys consistently show that environmental performance influences purchasing decisions, while asset managers screen investments through ESG criteria. For Indian businesses, this represents both an opening and a challenge they can’t sidestep. Winners and strugglers Some companies have embraced the change. Adani Green Energy now scores 74 out of 100 on NSE’s sustainability ratings—the highest in India’s power sector. The company’s rapid expansion in rene...

19Apr

By Pallab BhattacharyaNo Comments

Oil & Gas Industry

Gas Gamble in India’s Remote Northeast

Oil India Limited (OIL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) have agreed to set up Arunachal Pradesh’s first state-wide City Gas Distribution (CGD) network, taking India’s natural gas expansion to one of its most sparsely populated and geographically difficult states. The licence, awarded under the 12th round of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), covers the entire state rather than select districts, making it the first comprehensive CGD concession in India’s northeastern frontier. Structure and Infrastructure The venture will be operted as a 50:50 joint venture between the two state-run energy companies, with provision for the Arunachal Pradesh government to take up to 10 per cent equity. The network will include compressed natural gas (CNG) stations fo...

India’s Energy Crossroads: Adani’s ₹10,500 Crore Investment Marks Coal’s Enduring Role

19Apr

By Pallab BhattacharyaNo Comments

Power

India’s Energy Crossroads: Adani’s ₹10,500 Crore Investment Marks Coal’s Enduring Role

India’s clean energy ambitions face a pragmatic reckoning as Adani Power commits ₹10,500 crore to an 800 MW ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant in Madhya Pradesh. The decision spots coal firmly at the heart of India’s energy security through the early 2030s despite lofty renewable targets. Scheduled for commissioning within 54 months, the plant will be built under a Design, Build, Finance, Own and Operate model in Anuppur district, sourcing coal under the government’s SHAKTI policy to ensure fuel availability. The tariff was competitively secured at ₹5.838 per kilowatt-hour. This investment aligns with government plans to add 88 GW of coal capacity by 2032—a 63% increase from earlier projections—placing India alongside China as one of the few countries still expanding thermal ...

India’s Offshore Gamble: ONGC, Reliance and BP Unite in Saurashtra

19Apr

By Pallab BhattacharyaNo Comments

Oil & Gas Industry

India’s Offshore Gamble: ONGC, Reliance and BP Unite in Saurashtra

India’s growing dependence on imported crude oil has become a defining challenge for its economy. The country now imports nearly 85% of its oil requirements, creating a $220bn annual burden. Against this backdrop, three very different players — ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation), Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and BP Exploration — have joined forces in a new consortium to explore the Saurashtra basin offshore block. The partnership, under the government’s Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP-IX), will focus on Block GS-OSHP-2022/2 off the coast of Gujarat. ONGC will serve as the operator with a 40 per cent stake, while Reliance and BP each hold 30 per cent. The project has been billed by the Ministry of Petroleum as a strategic collaboration to enhance India’s energy security. Join...

ONGC Begins Gas Sales from Chinnewala Tibba Field

19Apr

By Pallab BhattacharyaNo Comments

Oil & Gas Industry

ONGC Begins Gas Sales from Chinnewala Tibba Field

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) commenced natural gas sales from the Chinnewala Tibba field in Rajasthan on August 25, 2025, according to company statements. Newscript is founded by a retired executive director of ONGC. The state-owned company began supplying 1.0 lakh standard cubic meters of gas per day to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL) at Ramgarh through ONGC’s Gamnewala Gas Collection Station. The Chinnewala Tibba block covers 73 square kilometers in western Rajasthan near the Indo-Pakistan border under the Rajasthan Kutch Onland Exploratory Asset (RKOEA). The field was developed under the Discovered Small Field (DSF-II) framework. ONGC Director (Strategy & Corporate Affairs) Arunangshu Sarkar and Director (Exploration) Om Prakash Sinha atte...

Oil Market Pressures, Weakening Rupee Pose Critical Threats on Indian Energy Giants

19Apr

By Pallab BhattacharyaNo Comments

News Bulletin, Newsletter

Oil Market Pressures, Weakening Rupee Pose Critical Threats on Indian Energy Giants

Executive summery Brent crude slides to mid-$60s as OPEC+ discipline fragments EIA forecasts sub-$60/barrel pricing for Q4 2025 Indian upstream producers face margin compression amid deep-water capex cycles Downstream players navigate inventory volatility with mixed results Rupee weakness near ₹88/$ amplifies import-export complexities Energy sector braces for fundamental recalibration Oil markets have entered turbulent waters, with Brent crude hovering around $67 per barrel as producer discipline fragments across OPEC+ nations. The cartel’s decision to unwind production cuts has coincided with softening global demand, prompting the US Energy Information Administration to forecast Brent averaging below $60 per barrel in the fourth quarter—the lowest quarterly a...

The Energy Wars: How Oil is Redrawing the World Map

19Apr

By Pallab BhattacharyaNo Comments

Geopolitics, Newsletter, Opinion

The Energy Wars: How Oil is Redrawing the World Map

Executive Summary Since Russia’s 2022 Ukraine invasion, global oil trade has undergone its most dramatic transformation in decades. India emerged as an unlikely beneficiary, increasing Russian crude imports from negligible volumes to 1.6 million barrels daily—40% of total imports—generating $2.7 billion monthly savings through $15-20 per barrel discounts. Western sanctions triggered a 60% redirection of Russian exports from Europe to Asia within 18 months, enabling Moscow to earn $119 billion from oil sales in 2024. The crisis accelerated alternative payment systems bypassing Western financial infrastructure, while creating permanent market fragmentation along geopolitical lines that may outlast the conflict itself. Trade, Tariff, Trump and Tremor In the three years since Russi...