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Debt¬ridden Jaiprakash Associates today announced the part sale of its cement business to the Kumarmangalam Birla¬led Ultratech for Rs 15,900 crore, marking the biggest consolidation in the cement sector. 

However, the size of the deal announced last month has been reduced from Rs 16,500 crore as Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL) decided not to sell its cement plant in Karnataka with a capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). In a filing to the BSE, JAL said: "Board today approved the definitive agreement with Ultratech Cement Ltd (UTCL) for sale of part of its cement business comprising identified operating cement plants with an aggregate capacity of 17.2 MTPA spread over the states of UP, MP, HP, Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh, besides a grinding unit of 4 MTPA capacity, which is currently under implementation in UP." Both the parties have mutually agreed to exclude Shahabad plant in Karnataka from the transaction, it added. 

"The total enterprise value is Rs 15,900 crore and additional amount of Rs 470 crore shall be paid by UTCL for completion of the grinding unit under implementation," it said. The deal will help JP Associates reduce its debt, which runs into thousands of crores of rupees. The transaction is subject to various regulatory approvals including stock exchanges, Competition Commission of India, shareholders and creditors as well as sanction of scheme of arrangement by High Courts of Mumbai and Allahabad. "The consummation of transaction is expected to take 9¬12 months," JAL said in the filing. Post the deal, JAL will retain 10.6 MTPA cement capacity spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh (MP), Uttar Pradesh (UP), Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Karnataka. ICICI Securities assisted JAL as transaction advisors, Ernst & Young (EY) as tax advisors and Vaish Associates as legal advisors for the transactions. The deal will help JAL reduce its debt. On the deal, a ICICI Bank spokesperson said: "Jaypee Group in consultation with ICICI Bank has been selling various assets in its cement and power businesses to take care of its debt obligations." 

These sales have helped bring down debt to some extent. ICICI Bank has actively worked with the management of Jaypee to sell its entire cement business and this business is now being sold to the Aditya Birla group, it added. "This sale will further bring down the level of debt in the Jaypee group significantly. ICICI Bank is also working with Jaypee Group to find solutions to further reduce the Debt burden in other ways," the spokesperson said. In a separate filing, Ultratech Cements Ltd (UCTL) said: "Upon consummation, Ultratech's cement capacity will stand augmented to 91.1

Source: Economic Times