Shares of all three listed state-owned oil marketing companies – Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) are trading higher between 1-3% on BSE after Brent crude dropped to $48.44 a barrel.

Brent crude oil futures edged higher after big losses in the previous session, after China took steps to pour fresh liquidity into the world's second-biggest economy to spur activity. Brent for March settlement was up 50 cents at $54.66 a barrel.

A consortium that includes Bharat Petroleum and Videocon Industries has made a significant crude oil discovery off the Brazil’s Northeast coast.

The discovery was made in a well drilled in the BM-SEAL-11 exploration block in the Sergipe basin off Brazil’s Northeast coast, the two companies said in regulatory filings.

The premium promised by the government for natural gas produced in geologically challenging conditions must be linked to the prevalent market prices of a basket of alternative liquid fuels, with a discount factor that would reduce progressively, allowing the price to come close to arm’s length price over a period of three to five years, major private sector explorers have argued.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Videocon Industries with Brazilian partner Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) have found more light crude oil in the Sergipe Basin off that country’s northeast coast, the companies said in a securities filing.

The discovery in the BM-SEAL-11 exploration block is believed to hold at least a billion barrels of recoverable oil.

Sao Paulo: Brazil’s state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) and its Indian partners—Videocon Industries Ltd and Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL)—have found more light crude oil in the Sergipe Basin off Brazil’s Northeast coast, according to a securities filing on Thursday.

The discovery in the BM-SEAL-11 exploration block is one of several in recent years in an area believed to hold more than 1 billion barrels of recoverable oil, or enough to supply all needs in the US for nearly 2 months.

State-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) is planning to raise Rs 4,000 crore for the expansion of its Kochi refinery and to fund its petrochemicals venture, said three banking sources aware of the development. State Bank of India (SBI) has received the mandate to raise funds.

BPCL is planning to diversify into downstream petrochemicals with an investment of Rs 4,588 crore by using propylene. The public sector refiner is planning to produce niche petrochemicals such as acrylic acid, acrylates and oxo alcohols, which are predominantly being imported into the country, at its Kochi refinery facility, using the polymer grade propylene that will be available after the ongoing integrated refinery expansion project (IREP) is completed.

Shares of state-owned oil marketing companies such as Indian Oil Corp, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum were up 1-3% each gained in an otherwise weak market as global crude oil prices dropped to fresh 51/2 year lows today.

Lower crude oil prices would help reduce the under-recoveries on sale of subsidised cooking fuels such as kerosene and LPG gas for domestic use.

The government on Thursday raised excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 1.50 a litre each to help it achieve the fiscal deficit target for this year. The move may not result in an immediate hike in prices of petroleum products as oil marketing companies (OMCs) are likely to offset it by not announcing the reduction in rates expected this weekend.

The excise duty on normal or unbranded petrol was hiked from Rs 1.20 per litre to Rs 2.70 per litre and on unbranded diesel from Rs 1.46 a litre to Rs 2.96, a government notification said. The duty on branded petrol was raised from Rs 2.35 a litre to Rs 3.85 and on branded diesel from Rs 3.75 to Rs 5.25 per litre.

State-owned Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd aims to double its refining margins once it completes the expansion and upgrade of its Kochi refinery in Kerala to process high sulphur crudes by 2016, a senior company official said.

The refiner's margins dropped to $3 a barrel this year, from $4.50 to $5 a barrel last year, but levels will increase by a about $3 to $4 a barrel by mid-2016, said Neeraj Shukla, a chief manager at BPCL's refineries division.

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has edged past Reliance Industries (RIL) to be the highest-ranked Indian energy firm on this year's Platts Global 250 Rankings.

ONGC, ranked 22 in 2013, improved one position this year on the list led by global firms Exxon Mobil Corp, Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell. RIL slipped from the 19th rank in 2013 to 22nd.

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