A day after Petroleum Ministry threw its weight behind NTPC in its legal fight against Reliance Industries, Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said his ministry had no differences on the issue with the oil ministry.

“I don’t think there is any difference between petroleum ministry and power ministry on the RIL gas dispute,” he said.

NTPC has taken RIL to court seeking performance of a bid by the Mukesh Ambani firm to supply 12 million standard cubic meters per day of gas to its Kawas and Gandhar expansion projects at USD 2.34 per mmBtu.

However, the Oil Ministry has opposed the same price in case of supplies to be made to Anil Ambani Group firm RNRL on the basis of a private family agreement.

Petroleum Secretary R S Pandey had told his counterpart in the power ministry H S Brahma that NTPC’s “interests will be protected by all means.”

Asked if NTPC may file a petition in the Supreme Court to protect its interests, Shinde said: “It is left to NTPC to decide.”

He said USD 2.34 per mmBtu rates were quoted by RIL in a NTPC tender of 2004 while the Government approved USD 4.2 per mmBtu price for the company’s gas only in 2007. And so RIL has to honour its commitment.