ONGC hopes to recover over $400 million dividend as sanctions eased on Venezuela

New Delhi: India's top oil firm Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) is hoping to recover about $ 413 million of unpaid dividend from an oilfield in Venezuela after sanctions on the Latin American nation were eased, a top source said on Thursday.

The US Treasury Department partially lifted sanctions on Venezuela's oil and gas sector last week. The partially lifted sanctions are through a new six-month license authorising transactions in the country's oil and gas sector. The license is to be renewed only if Venezuela can meet commitments leading to fair voting in the next year's presidential election.

The US government also amended two other licenses to remove the secondary trading ban on certain Venezuelan sovereign bonds and PDVSA debt and equity. However, a ban on trading in the primary Venezuelan bond market remains in place.

ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas investment arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), holds a 40 percent stake in the San Cristobal oilfield in eastern Venezuela's Orinoco Heavy Oil belt.

The project is operated jointly by OVL and Petr leos de Venezuela S.A. (PdVSA) - the national oil company of Venezuela.

OVL and PdVSA had in November 2016 signed two definitive agreements for redevelopment of the project. The agreements provided a mechanism to liquidate the outstanding dividends of $ 537.63 million due to OVL.

(PSU Watch– India's Business News centre that places the spotlight on PSUs, Bureaucracy, Defence and Public Policy is now on Google News. Click here to follow. Also, Join PSU Watch Channel in your Telegram. You may also follow us on Twitter here and stay updated.)