NEW DELHI, April 10: The consumer price for natural gas has been pegged down by 5.8 per cent to Rs 2271 per 1000 SCM (standard cubic metres) from Rs 2411 per 1000 SCM prevalent till end March. The quarterly gas price adjustment, that follows the dip in oil prices worldwide, practically takes the cost of gas back to December 1997 levels. Natural gas prices for the October to December 1997 quarter were Rs 2150 per 1000 SCM for consumers and Rs 1800 per 1000 SCM for producers.The producer price for the April to June quarter will be Rs 1833 per 1000 SCM, an 8.48 per cent drop from the last quarter, when the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India Limited (OIL) were paid Rs 2003 per 1000 SCM of gas. Both the producer and consumer price, pertain to natural gas of a calorific value of 10,000 Kcal (Kilo calories) per SCM.In the northeastern states both the producer and the concessional consumer price will be Rs 1250 per 1000 SCM, which is 4.9 per cent lower than in the last quarter. Between Januaryand March this year, power and fertiliser plants procured natural gas at a price of Rs 1315 per 1000 SCM, which was also the producer price.Oil India Limited is reimbursed for the concessional price for consumers in the northeast from the Gas Pool Account. The Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) will continue to get transportation charges at the rate of Rs 1150 per 1000 SCM at a calorific value of 8,500 Kilo calories per SCM.
