suite réunion = nouvelle réunion demain
High-profile meet on Cairn-Vedanta deal inconclusive
StoryComments
Read more on »vedanta resources|oil secy s sundareshan|oil ministry
NEW DELHI: A crucial meeting to discuss government approval for Vedanta Resources' USD 9.6 billion acquisition of Cairn India today remained inconclusive and Oil Secretary S Sundareshan will meet the chief executives of the two firms again tomorrow to thrash out their differences.
While Oil Secretary S Sundareshan described the 90-minute deliberation as "extremely constructive", Cairn Energy -- which is selling most of its stake in its Indian unit to Vedanta -- hoped to complete the transaction on schedule by April 15.
This was the first time the Oil Ministry met Edinburgh- based Cairn Energy Plc Chief Executive Bill Gammell, Cairn India CEO Rahul Dhir and Vedanta representatives M S Mehta (Group CEO) and Tarun Jain (CFO) together.
Cairn India brought its most vocal independent director, Omkar Goswami, purportedly to put pressure on the Oil Ministry to give approval without insisting on three out of the 11 preconditions it had set for according approval for the deal.
Sources said the two sides went over each of the 11 conditions, with Cairn/Vedanta explaining their point of view. The Oil Ministry, however, held its ground on the precondition that state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp's (ONGC) royalty liability in Cairn India's mainstay Rajasthan block will have to be addressed before such approval.
The Rajasthan block, which gives Cairn India 90 per cent of its valuation, is a losing proposition for ONGC, as it has to pay 20 per cent royalty to the state government on the entire output from the field, even though its share of production is only 30 per cent.
Cairn India does not pay royalty on the crude and has even contested the payment of Rs 2,500 per tonne cess on its 70 per cent share.
"We had extremely constructive dialogue... We hope to move forward to a positive solution," Sundareshan told reporters.
Refusing to dwell on the deliberations at the meeting, he said "various issues" concerning the deal were being discussed.
Describing the deliberations as "constructive", Cairn Energy said, "Cairn and Vedanta continue to work with the government of India to complete the proposed transaction before April 15, 2011."
Sources said the government is prepared to give approval to the deal subject to Cairn/Vedanta meeting conditions like agreeing to ONGC's demand for recovering the Rs 14,000 crore royalty the state firm will have to pay on behalf of Cairn India from the sale of oil produced from Rajasthan fields.
Acceptance of the demand would impact Cairn India's valuation as its future profits will go down and the company says its minority shareholder interest will be compromised.
Page 1 of 2
Prev
Next
NEXT STORY
India says hopeful of cleari...
There are no comments on this article yet.
Why don't you post one?
Comments are moderated and will be allowed if they are about the topic and not abusive.
Characters remaining (1500)
To post this comment you must log in.
Log In/Connect with:
More Login Options
or
Fill in your details:
Will be displayedWill not be displayed
Will be displayed
Share this Comment:
Post to Facebook Post to Twitter
Please answer this simple math question.
0 + 0 =
LATEST FROM ETLATEST FROM WEB
Kalmadi criticises Maha CM, hails role of media
GJM to start indefinite rail roko from Wednesday
Iran opens trial of 3 Americans on spy charges
Obama speaks to world leaders about Egypt crisis
Dick Cheney calls Mubarak 'good friend'
more »
MOST READMOST COMMENTEDMOST SHARED
In This Section | Entire Website1 Vedanta to call off deal if Cairn India tweak...2 Two forged letters keep ONGC without chairman...3 India Oil may build $5 bn refinery in Turkey4 NTPC not to open bid after HC intervention5 Reliance Industries hires advisors to explore...
Slide Shows1 / 6more »
Investment avenues in times of high inflation
The time has come for investors to keep a tab on the dynamic component of wealth management.Volatile conditions hold opportunities
Here are some strategies that help you make the most of volatile markets.Choose mutual fund based on your risk profile
Every investor has his unique requirements, financial goals, time constraints, liquidity needs and risk tolerance level.How to make health insurance claim hassle-free
Claiming insurance compensation can sometimes claim peace of mind.How to go about building an equity portfolio?
Investments need time, understanding and regular tracking to produce the expected results.Repayment options available for home loan borrowers
An important part of a home loan finance process is the determination of the mode of EMI repayment.
Personal Finance
PF PRIMER: How to close a depository account
Master the art of facing losses with dignity
ING Life launches unique child product
Comments & Analysis
Food inflation is no mystery
‘Spin-offs of virtualisation are huge’
A manufacturing strategy for India
ET Mobile
Get Economic Times on the go. Get your portfolio updates by the minute
ET ePaper
Get a replica of your favourite edition of ET and feel at home. Mumbai | Delhi | Bangalore | Kolkata
SHOPTRAVELMOBILE 58888
Get a Quote
Browse Companies
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ|123456789