Mumbai, NFAPost: Power transmission company Sterlite Power, has sold off its 14.7 per cent stake in India Grid Trust (IndiGrid) to institutional investors and High Networth Individuals (HNIs) for Rs 840 crore.
Sterlite Power is the sponsor of IndiGrid, India’s first power sector InvIT, held 15 per cent in the InvIT. After selling the stake, Sterlite Power will continue to remain a shareholder of Sterlite Investment Managers (SIML), the investment manager of IndiGrid. IndiGrid has seen global investment funds such as KKR and GIC pumping in $400 million last year, who jointly own 57% in the InvIT.
Sterlite Power is a global developer of power transmission infrastructure with projects of over 13,315 circuit kms and 23,885 MVA in India and Brazil.
Sterlite Power Managing Director Pratik Agarwal said Sterlite Power is proud to have played a role in creating India’s first power sector InvIT which has grown over the years with participation from marquee investors.
Asset transfer
“We will now focus on our core business as the developer of power transmission assets. We remain committed to executing asset transfers of about Rs 6,500 crores as per the framework agreement with IndiGrid,” said Sterlite Power Managing Director Pratik Agarwal.
Sterlite Power Managing Director Pratik Agarwal further added that global financial markets will remain in yield-seeking mode for a considerable period, and this will provide enough capital supply to well-managed REITs and InvITs. “We firmly believe that InvITs will remain a powerful platform to meet the large-scale financing requirements of the infrastructure sector,” he said.
Transmission asset
Going forward, Sterlite Power Managing Director Pratik Agarwal is of the view that having built a successful platform and completing the required lock-in period, the company will now focus on its core business as a developer of transmission assets in India and Brazil – two of the world’s largest markets for greenfield projects.
Last year, as a part of its monetising strategy, Sterlite Power sold off its power transmission asset in Brazil for $35 million to Vinci Energia FIP – IE.
Sterlite Power is increasingly focusing on transmission assets designed to evacuate renewable energy, and many of its assets under development connect the national grid to clean and green sources of power.
