印度将与巴西国家石油公司签订石油供应协议

新德里:两名知情的政府官员称，印度通过从非欧佩克来源进口原油来实现能源篮子多元化的努力正在取得成果，印度将签署长期合同，从巴西国家石油公司(Petrobras)和哥伦比亚国家石油公司(Ecopetrol)采购至少200万吨原油。

这些不愿透露姓名的官员表示，此前政府间就印度优惠定价和在高度动荡的全球能源市场中供应稳定进行了谈判。

他们补充说，石油和天然气部长Pankaj Jain将于下周前往巴西签署合同。

这一事态发展具有重要意义，因为作为全球第三大石油进口国，印度一直试图说服石油输出国组织(Opec)及其盟友在供应国和消费国的需求之间找到平衡，但迄今未能达成一项公平协议。

印度是亚洲重要的炼油中心，通过23家炼油厂，年产能超过2.4936亿吨。

印度政府将首次与巴西国家石油公司(Petrobras)签订长期供应协议。巴西国家石油公司是全球为数不多的增产石油巨头之一。

2015年，印度停止通过与哥伦比亚国家石油公司(Ecopetrol)签订的长期合同采购原油。在此之前，印度最大的炼油商印度石油公司(IOC)开始投产其年产1500万吨的Paradip炼油厂，根据尼尔森指数，该炼油厂的复杂系数为10.7，可以加工高硫原油。

巴西驻印度大使Andre Aranha Correa do Lago对Mint表示:“MoPNG的一个代表团将于下周前往巴西，由商人陪同，这是加强两国在能源领域关系的努力的一部分，也是巴西矿业和能源部长去年4月对印度非常成功的访问的后续。”

Lago补充说，巴西正在成为石油市场的核心参与者，目前是全球第七大原油生产国和石油出口国，并有望迅速成为全球第五大原油生产国和出口国。

哥伦比亚驻印度大使玛丽安娜·帕切科·蒙特斯也证实了这一进展。

他说:“在过去20年里，印度和拉丁美洲都开始重新定义各自的政治和经济战略，并在一个日益不确定的世界中找到彼此可以找到共同点的互补性、能力和机会。这些共同点在双边和多边领域都有所增长，就哥伦比亚而言，这种伙伴关系在过去几年里得到了深化和加强，”马里亚娜·帕切科·蒙特斯告诉Mint。

她说:“哥伦比亚迫切希望强调，加强印度和哥伦比亚在石油领域的关系符合我们的共同利益。哥伦比亚期待与印度石油公司建立原油供应协议，并与印度石油天然气公司加强合作，同时探索在哥伦比亚的共同机会。”

“印度将签署从巴西和哥伦比亚进口原油的长期供应协议。这是降低石油供应链风险的一部分。在长期合同中，你可以得到优惠的价格。长期合同有助于避免市场的反复无常。尽管人们非常希望多元化，但这并不是最近才发生的事情，”上述两位官员之一表示。

Queries emailed to spokespeople for India’s oil ministry, Petrobras and Ecopetrol, and IOCL on Wednesday did not elicit any response till press time.

“Colombia's exports to India in 2021 reached USD 2.7 billion, the same as Canada's exports to India and more than countries like Spain, Norway and Bangladesh. This is a sign of the potential that exist to increase trade between both countries. Colombian exports to India in this year, from January to June 2022, have already reached USD 1.54 billion, double the amount it was in the same time-period in 2021. This is due to the increase in exports of crude petroleum oil, coal, gold, teakwood, plastics, and other light manufacturing products. Though, crude oil accounts for more than 90% of this trade," Mariana Pacheco Montes said.

“Ecopetrol, Colombia’s public oil company, has played a pivotal role in this expansion. Today, India is the third largest market for Colombian crude oil and we hope to be signing additional contracts soon to expand and grow this trade. Colombia and India’s collaborative efforts move towards a long-term partnership when it comes to crude oil,“ Montes said.

New Delhi’s latest strategy also gives a signal to Opec+ grouping, to which India has been requesting to boost output amid record high prices of petroleum products in the country. Global energy markets are in a frenzy with surging prices across fuel sources such as crude oil and gas, with India particularly at a disadvantage, as any increase in global prices has the potential to affect its import bill, stoke inflationary pressures and widen the trade deficit.

India is dependent on imports for as much as 85% of its oil needs and 55% of its natural gas demand.

“We are also signalling to Opec plus. Brazil is neither a member of Opec nor Opec plus. Brazil is among the few countries that are increasing crude oil production," said the official cited above.

Opec’s production cut has been weighing heavy on India’s energy market.

While crude imports by state-run firms from West Asia were 69% or 88.9 mt out of total imports of 128.8 mt, it fell to 63.49% or 69.9 mt out of total imports of 110 mt during FY21 after Opec cut output from May 2020.

“We are looking at diversification to non-Opec countries. For us, any oil is good, as long as it is okay for the refiners. Our refineries are also very complex; the Paradip refinery, which would not take heavy crude earlier, can now process these," said the second government official cited above, requesting anonymity. “We are looking at de-risking energy supply chains. All these partnerships will be between national oil companies with the push given by the government," the official said.

utpal.b@livemint.com