The fertiliser sector will be given top priority in the allocation of natural gas that will be produced from fields such as Reliance Industries’ eastern offshore KG-D6 block. Headed by external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) decided that for 2008-09, fiscal demand of existing gas-based fertiliser plants would first be met by production from fields like KG-D6, sources said.After fulfilling the unmet demand of fertiliser units, gas will then be allocated to existing gas-based power units. Reliance’s KG-D6 field will bridge the gap between demand of 43.169 million standard cubic meters per day (mmscmd) and the current supply of about 29 mmscmd. It will then supply 18 mmscmd of gas to power plants.“After today’s decision it (fertiliser sector) will get first preference on gas to be produced from fields operated by private firms,” fertiliser minister Ram Vilas Paswan said. Besides the unmet demand of gas-based plants, about 6.5 mmscmd of gas will be given to naphtha-run plants to convert to gas next year. Another 3.16 mmscmd would be allocated in 2010 to plants currently fired by fuel oil.
