New Delhi, July 13 - The central government Monday said it has not issued any directive to the state-run power major NTPC, formerly National Thermal Power Corp, to sign a gas purchase deal with Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL).

'Government has not issued any instruction to NTPC for signing of gas purchase deal with RIL,' Minister of State for Power Bharatsinh Solanki said in a written reply tabled in Rajya Sabha.

Solanki said RIL had been found to be the lowest bidder for NTPC's 17-year contract for supply of gas to its Kawas-II and Gandhar-II power projects.

The power company had issued a letter of intent in June 2004, saying RIL would supply gas at the rate of $2.34 per million metric British thermal units (mmbtu) from the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin.

But RIL did not come forward to sign the gas sale and purchase agreement (GSPA), and instead sought substantial changes.