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Le pb principal vient du fait que ONGC va voir 5 % de
ONGC tente donc de diminuer son exposition à des royalties que devrait payer Cairn avant cette mise sur le marché...
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ONGC to clear Cairn air before float
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Hazarika: Tough task
New Delhi, Feb. 1: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) plans to hit the markets with its follow-on offer on March 15 and hopes to settle the dispute over royalty from Cairn India’s Rajasthan fields by then.
“The government has asked us to settle the royalty issue before the FPO. It is a sensitive issue from the investors’ point of view,” company sources said.
A.K. Hazarika, who heads ONGC’s onshore operations, today took over as the firm’s acting chairman. He said the FPO could open on March 15, and six banks have been appointed to handle the Rs 13,000-crore issue.
The government plans to sell 5 per cent of its stake in ONGC through the offer, which at current prices can fetch up to Rs 13,500 crore.
After the offer, the government’s shareholding in the oil explorer will come down to 69.14 per cent from 74.14 per cent. Analysts said resolution of the contentious issues would brighten up the prospects of the FPO.
If ONGC’s demand of adding the royalty to cost is met, the valuation of the state-run firm will zoom as it will not have to bear the entire burden. Currently, ONGC pays its share of royalty and of Cairn India’s as well.
Cairn Energy is selling 40-51 per cent of its stake in Cairn India — the operator of the country’s largest onland oil field — to London-listed Vedanta Resources for $8.48 billion.
The ONGC board has asked the government not to approve the deal until its concerns on royalty are addressed.
“ONGC has the categorical right of first refusal. We had taken the opinion of the Solicitor-General of India. Cairn India needs ONGC’s consent to go ahead with this transaction,” R.S. Sharma, chairman and managing director of ONGC, said a day before his retirement.
He said the board had recommended to the government that the royalty be deducted from the price realised from the sale of crude from Mangala and other oil fields in Rajasthan.
The government made ONGC pay the entire royalty irrespective of its stake to attract foreign equity and technology in India’s oil sector.