New Delhi, June 25: The Ambani brothers could engage in a fresh dispute over the younger sibling’s attempts to seek captive oil fields for power plants and city gas supply projects.

According to the break-up agreement between the two brothers, Anil and Mukesh, oil exploration and mining activities will be undertaken by Mukesh. A no-compete clause in the pact formalises this arrangement.

But Anil-controlled firms have entered the race for oil and gas exploration blocks under Nelp-VI. The group wants captive fields for its power projects and city gas supplies.

The escape clause for Anil is the stipulation in the pact that both sides could enter the core areas of the other provided they are “incidental” and/or “integral” to their businesses. Mukesh used this clause to go in for a captive cargo airport and power plant in the special economic zone that Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) proposes to set up in Haryana.

Anil’s foray into gas was a result of the problems over supplies to Reliance Energy Ltd’s proposed power plant at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh from RIL’s fields in KG basin, sources said. The younger Ambani’s firms have contracts with RIL for supply of gas to various projects at prices which some analysts believe are quite cheap.

Though rival gas fields will mean competition and loss of business for RIL, analysts believe Mukesh may actually be happy if Anil gets his captive fields as RIL could then sell gas at far higher rates to other customers.

However, with the current state of affairs between the two brothers, many within the groups believe it would not be surprising if the two sides set up new areas of conflicts.