Ambani brothers' gas dispute ups India investment risks

By Rina Chandran

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The wrangle over an energy deal between the billionaire Ambani brothers has highlighted the risks inherent in an economy dominated by big family businesses and spurred calls for the government to intervene.

The latest dispute between the feuding brothers could discourage investment in the energy sector as the country scrambles to shore up its energy security.

It also tests governance standards for a nation that ranks a lowly 180 when it comes to enforcing contracts on the World Bank's index on ease of doing business. Only Benin ranks worse.

The near-three-year battle between India's top conglomerate Reliance Industries, headed by Mukesh Ambani, 52, and Reliance Natural Resources, led by estranged brother Anil, 50, will be heard in the Supreme Court on July 20.

The two sides are fighting over terms of a gas-supply agreement struck when the Reliance empire was split in 2005. The Bombay High Court ruled last month that Reliance Industries should supply gas to Reliance Natural at nearly half the price it had set in an interim order in January.

The gas in dispute comes from the vast Krishna Godavari (KG) basin, and some in India have said terms of access to such a crucial resource in an energy-starved country should not be left in private hands.

"If a private MOU (memorandum of understanding) can involve something that belongs in the public domain, it gives the sense that large corporations can bend rules and influence policy -- that's surely got to be the biggest political risk," said Seema Desai, an analyst at risk consultancy Eurasia Group in London.

The government has largely been silent, which could make investors wary, said strategist Arun Kejriwal at KRIS Research.