India's Essar Oil to start retailing auto LPG

India’s second-largest privately owned oil company Essar Oil will start retailing liquid petroleum gas (LPG) for automobiles starting in the first quarter of 2009. The company will make auto LPG available in six to eight stores, some of which will be combined with its existing gasoline retailing stations. Construction of the exclusive auto LPG retail outlets will begin in June 2009. Essar is currently in the final stages of concluding sourcing agreements for auto LPG with privately-owned LPG suppliers SHV Energy Pvt. Ltd. and Elf Gas India Ltd., a subsidiary of France’s Total SA. Meanwhile, Essar is set to acquire a 50% stake from the existing shareholders of one of Kenya Petroleum Refineries Ltd.’s refineries in Mombasa, Kenya. The Kenyan government will retain ownership of half the refinery. (March 26/30, 2009)