On Thursday, Vedanta Ltd. called any rumours of a sale in the oil-to-metals conglomerate “untrue and false.” This follows a news story that claimed mining magnate Anil Agarwal was considering selling a share in Vedanta as a last-ditch option and was looking into the prospect of doing so for less than 5% of the business. The business spokeswoman stated, “Any suggestion of equity sales in Vedanta Ltd. is false and without foundation.
” The media report said that stake sale in Vedanta is a last resort for Agarwal and will only be considered if other fundraising options fail. Vedanta Resources which is a majority shareholder of Vedanta Ltd has been looking to reduce its debt through the sale of its zinc assets for a cash consideration of USD 2,981 million to Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL). However, the government which holds 29.54 per cent stake in Hindustan Zinc has sternly opposed this move.
Vedanta holds 64.92 per cent of the equity share capital of HZL. Vedanta Resources had earlier said that it has enough means to meet debt repayment liabilities in the coming quarters as it looked to assuage investor concerns around its financial position. In a statement, the firm, which is the majority owner of Mumbai-listed mining and oil and gas company Vedanta Ltd, had said it is in the advanced stage of finalisation to tie up USD 1.75 billion through a combination of syndicate loan and bilateral bank facilities.
Vedanta Resources had said it has pre-paid all of its debt that was due for repayment till March 2023, deleveraging by USD 2 billion in the past 11 months. Further, it is confident of meeting its liquidity requirements for the quarter ending June 2023. Vedanta Resources had recently said that it has fully repaid 250 million dollar in loans it had taken from Barclays Bank and Standard Chartered Bank.