State-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd (HPCL) and Petronet LNG Ltd are eyeing hydrocarbon infrastructure opportunities in South Sudan and Mozambique as part of India’s efforts to step up its presence in energy-rich Africa.

While HPCL plans to set up pipelines and a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) processing plant in South Sudan, Petronet LNG wants to set up a 5 million tonne per annum (mtpa)liquefaction facility in Mozambique.

«We are interested in setting up infrastructure in South Sudan. We are looking at LPG plants and pipelines. We were also approached by the government there to set up a refinery, but we have declined it for now,» S.R. Choudhury, chairman and managing director of HPCL said on the sidelines of the third India-Africa hydrocarbons conference, organized by the petroleum and natural gas ministry in association with industry lobby Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

HPCL plans to set up pipelines connecting the oilfields in the newly created South Sudan with the refining and other infrastructure in Sudan.

Petronet LNG has expressed interest to Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL) for setting up a liquefaction facility in Mozambique, said A.K. Balyan, chief executive officer and managing director of Petronet LNG. «We are looking at a capacity of around 5 mtpa. It is a good opportunity and we expect the things to progress in the next six-eight months,» he said.

BPCL’s subsidiary Bharat Petro Resources Ltd in 2008 bought a 10% participatory interest into an offshore block in Mozambique. There has been a discovery in the block.

India’s efforts are aimed towards countering the growing Chinese influence in Africa and secure hydrocarbon assets in the continent. India and China, both growing economies, need fuel reserves to feed their soaring energy needs and this has pitted them in a geopolitical race to acquire hydrocarbon resources.

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