ONGC, OVL pitted against Chinese soverign funds for foreign acquisitions

China's large state owned enterprises, backed by the money power of the Chinese sovereign wealth funds have been making huge global investments and acquisitions in the energy and minerals sector.

Armed with more than $2.4 trillion in foreign exchange reserves as of this month, China has supported its oil companies to make landmark overseas acquisitions since energy assets have fallen considerably due to the global economic downturn.

In September 2009, China had armed China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), parent of the state-run oil and natural gas giant PetroChina with a low-interest $30-billion state loan to fund overseas acquisitions, as it found depressed asset prices during the global economic downturn the right time for cheap acquisitions. (See: China arms CNPC with $30-billion loan for overseas acquisitions)

Although ONGC had envisaged interest in acquiring Swiss oil exploration firm Addax Petroleum, China moved exceptionally swiftly as it's second-largest oil company, Sinopec, a subsidiary of China Petrochemical Corporation, made a deal to acquire the oil explorer in June for $7.2 billion-the largest ever Chinese offshore acquisition. (See: Sinopec to acquire Addax Petroleum for $7.2 billion)

Again ONGC is fighting a bidding war since July 2009 to acquire a 75-per cent stake in YPF, the Argentine unit of the Spanish energy company Repsol, pitted against CNPC, which has teamed up with CNOOC to outbid ONGC with an offer reported to be between $13 billion to $14.5 billion

In December 2009, ONGC lost its bid to develop Iraq's giant Halfaya oilfield to a consortium led by a China National Petroleum, which under cut OVL's $1.76 per barrel bid. This was the second time that the state-run oil explorer lost a bid to CNPC in Iraq. (See: ONGC again loses bid for Iraqi oilfield to Chinese-led group)

Earlier, in the first round of Iraqi oil field auction in June, OVL, bidding along with Russia's Gazprom and TAPO, had lost the Zubair oilfield  for seeking a remuneration five times higher than the $1.90-$2 a barrel that Baghdad was willing to pay.

This month, ONGC lost a bid for an Algerian oil field in the Berkine Basin to a consortium led by a Chinese oil firm China's National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), which had an association with PTTEP of Thailand. (See: ONGC loses Algerian oilfield bid to China's CNOOC-led consortium)

The Indian petroleum giant, which undertakes overseas businesses including stake acquisition through its foreign arm, ONGC Videsh (OVL), acquired 43 overseas oil and gas assets in six years and has added 255.01 million tonnes oil equivalent of reserves through acquisition of overseas assets since 2003-04.

If losing energy assets to China were not bad enough, ONGC Mittal Energy Ltd. and its consortium partners, Germany's Wintershall and Denmark's Maersk Oil have surrendered the Turkmenistan offshore exploration blocks in the Caspian Sea on finding out after initial prospecting to be not very attractive. (See: OEML consortium abandons Turkmenistan exploration block)

ONGC Mittal Energy Ltd is a joint venture between ONGC Videsh Ltd and LN Mittal's Mittal Investment Sarl.

In September 2009, a consortium of ONGC Videsh Ltd and its partners Indian Oil Corporation and Oil India Ltd had abandoned plans to develop the Farsi oil field in Iran after they found it commercially unviable primarily due to high sulphur content in the oil. (See: OVL consortium abandons plans to develop unviable Iran oilfield)

In December 2008, ONGC acquired the UK's Imperial energy in a $1.9 billion deal, (See: ONGC completes acquisition of Imperial Energy) but last year it has not made a single acquisition although the value of overseas energy assets had fallen rock bottom although OVL has a mandate of making overseas investments decisions on its own to the tune of Rs300 crore, but any amount over this would require the approval the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

In August, PetroChina agreed to acquire a 60-per cent stake in two planned Athabasca Oil Sands projects in Western Canada for $1.9 billion. (See: Petrochina buys 60 per cent stake in Canada's oilsands for $1.7 billion)