Reliance selling Mumbai power business to Adanis

Mumbai: Announcing the largest ever debt-reduction exercise by an Indian corporate, Reliance Infrastructure on Thursday said it has signed a definite agreement for the sale of its Mumbai power business to Adani Transmission Ltd for a total consideration of Rs 18,800 crore.

While the total deal value of the sale of the power utility Reliance Energy is Rs 13,251 crore, regulatory assets estimated at Rs 5,000 crore and net working capital estimated at Rs 550 crore would also accrue to RInfra as part of the agreement.

The agreement with Adani is for 100 per cent stake sale of the power business, which includes the integrated business of generation, transmission and distribution of power in Mumbai.

RInfra will utilize the proceeds of this transformative transaction entirely to reduce its debt, becoming debt free and up to Rs 3,000 crore cash surplus, the statement added.   The proposed transaction is subject to the customary approvals.

Describing the deal as the largest ever debt reducing exercise by any corporate, RInfra said that monetisation of the Mumbai power business is a major step in the company’s deleveraging strategy for future growth.

Reliance Energy is India’s largest private sector integrated power utility distributing power to nearly 3 million residential, industrial and commercial consumers in the suburbs of Mumbai, covering an area of 400 sq km.

 The utility caters to a peak demand of over 1,800 MW, with annual revenues of Rs 7,500 crore with stable cash flows.    RInfra also said that, going forward, it will focus on upcoming opportunities in light engineering, procurement and construction, as well as defence businesses.

The shares of Adani Transmission and Reliance Infra surged up to 10% after both the companies signed the deal.