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Investors boost Cairn Energy
Investors added more than £100 million to the market capitalisation of Cairn Energy following reports that the Indian government could give approval next week to the deal to sell the bulk of its business in the country to Vedanta Resources.
Reports in India suggested that ministers will decide whether to approve the deal to sell between 40% and 51% of Cairn India by March 10.
This could raise up to $8.5 billion (£5.5 billion) for Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy, which has said the bulk of the proceeds will be distributed to shareholders.
The Indian oil ministry is said to have diluted the conditions it wanted to be attached to the deal.
The Press Trust of India (PTI) reported a big shift in the ministry’s position on the vexed question of who should pay the $3bn (£1.8bn) royalties estimated to be payable on production from the giant fields operated by Cairn India in Rajasthan.
The company’s local partner, ONGC, has to pay 100% of the bill but owns 30% of the relevant acreage. It wants Cairn India to share the costs. The ministry had indicated that it wanted the terms of production changed in ONGC’s favour before approving the deal.
ONGC’s campaign created fresh challenges for Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy, which has spent six months trying to win approval for the sale agreement, due to lapse on April 15.
Last month The Herald revealed that David Cameron had written to his opposite number in India, Manmohan Singh, about the deal.
The PM voiced concerns about the harm unpredictable actions by Indian ministers could cause. Citing unnamed officials, PTI said the ministry has suggested that the cabinet could try to get the royalty terms changed in the courts, rather than as a condition of approving the deal.
Cairn India says the royalty arrangements were fixed in a Production Sharing Contract dating from the 1990s. It would likely be confident of winning any resulting case.
The ministry is reported to have recommended that five conditions should be attached, rather than 11 originally.
It has dropped the condition that Cairn India should give up its rights in any future dispute with the government regarding the fields.
The remaining conditions include one that ONGC should approve the deal, although Cairn Energy says its consent is not required.
Cairn Energy might still struggle to complete the deal by April 15.
The company’s chief executive, Sir Bill Gammell, has said Cairn Energy will not ask shareholders to extend the deadline. Reports in India said the position might change if Cairn and Vedanta could say the extension is just a formality.
Richard Rose, of Oriel Securities, told clients: “There is still no certainty that the deal will be approved but these (reported) comments appear helpful.”
A spokesman for Cairn Energy said: “We continue to work with the government of India to secure the necessary consents and approvals in order to complete the transaction by April 15.”
Shares in Cairn Energy closed up 2%, 7.9p, at 438.4p giving it a market capitalisation of £6.1bn.