labels: mining, sesa goa ltd, m&a
Vedanta pips Mittal to acquire Mitsui''s 51-per cent stake in Sesa Goanews
24 April 2007
Pipping Mittal Steel with a Rs2,036 per share offer, UK-listed mining company Vedanta has acquired Mitsui & Co''s 51 per cent stake in Goa-based iron ore exporter Sesa Goa Ltd. Nomura Securities advised Vedanta on the deal.

Vedanta has also said that it plans to buy another 20 per cent stake at the same price that it paid for Mitsui''s stake, taking its acquisition cost to $1.37 billion. Vedanta paid $981 million for bought Mitsui''s stake.

The Anil Agarwal-controlled Vedanta, which hopes to close the transaction by July, this year, says it will pay for the deal through a mix of newly committed bank debt facilities of $1.1 billion and existing cash resources.

The Sesa Goa acquisition marks Vedanta''s entry into the iron ore market to its basket of metals that include aluminium, copper and zinc. Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd (SIIL), the flagship company of the Vedanta Group, is a leading producer of copper in India.

The UK-listed, India focused company sees strong demand iron ore with China and India''s growth having led to a global surge in global steel production.

The Aditya Birla Group was also in the fray for the stake in Mitsui, which is shifting its business focuss from trading in natural resources to investments.

In a statement shortly after the deal, the Japanese company said that the sale would generate ¥50 billion (approximately Rs1,750 crore) in profit, which it would deploy to invest in other natural resources.

Shortly after the deal, Agarwal, chairman, Vedanta, who owns around 54-per cent of Vedanta, said in a statement, "Sesa is a natural fit for Vedanta; it is an efficient, low cost miner with growth opportunities in one of the world''s fastest growing economies," Anil Agarwal said in a statement.

He also said there were no plans to delist Sesa Goa, which currently sells around 10 million tonnes of iron ore, which Vedanta plans to increase to around 15 million tonnes within the next two years.



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Vedanta pips Mittal to acquire Mitsui''s 51-per cent stake in Sesa Goa