State-owned oil marketing companies IOC, BPCL and HPCL may for the first time ever post the second consecutive quarterly loss with a combined loss of Rs 21,270 crore in July-September, on holding petrol and diesel prices below the cost of production.
The three state-owned firms — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), had in the first quarter of the current fiscal year (April-June) posted a combined loss of Rs 18,480 crore due to erosion in the marketing margin on petrol, diesel and domestic LPG.
“The three oil marketing companies IOC, BPCL and HPCL remain trapped in the quagmire of weak marketing losses and there is not enough traction in refining margins,” ICICI Securities said in a sector report.
