“First, we are seeking the government’s approval for allowing natural dilution of their stake down by up to 10 per cent. The government will take a final call on that,” Das said during the CII Financing Summit 3.0 here.
Stating that the company is confident because the kind of equity requirement it needs and what the sector expects from it, he said, “We have initially estimated Rs 4,500 crore by January-February in order to ensure that we have a fair amount of loan book as well as capital adequacy ratio which is very important.”
He also said the IREDA is expecting it to be included in the list of companies that can raise funds through bonds covered under 54EC of the Income Tax Act and that the quantum of funds to be raised from this instrument was not decided.
S&P Global Ratings Limited last week assigned ‘BBB-‘ long-term and ‘A-3’ short-term issuer credit ratings to IREDA, with Outlook ‘Stable, which will enable it to expand its reach in the international market, tapping into attractive sources of funding and supporting its borrowing plan. Noting that the agency needs to maintain the rating, Das said, “As important it is to get the rating, it is even more important to sustain the rating. So we’re going about it very responsibly.” “All development finance institutions and multilateral organisations have been associated with us since 1997 but we haven’t borrowed from them because the landed cost is high,” he said. According to Das, currently, the company’s capital adequacy ratio is around 20 per cent and it needs to ensure this ratio at 17-18 per cent to have a healthy, stable ‘AAA’ rating in the time to come.
“The process is in advanced stages, so maybe within a couple of weeks we will get the final news on that,” he said.
Earlier speaking at a panel discussion Das said that IREDA had submitted a draft Green Taxonomy to the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) one and a half years back.
“As announced by the Finance Minister in her budget speech, Climate Taxonomy is poised to increase the availability of capital for climate adaptation and mitigation projects. “The implementation of this Green Taxonomy would not only accelerate India’s journey towards its Net Zero goals but also enable the nation to attract substantial global green funding by providing a clear list of activities covered under the taxonomy,” he said.
Das said that the company has not received permission from the government to commence operations in the GIFT City as it is still under process and said that when the company gets it, funds will be raised through the GIFT City.
“We’re aiming to complete this in 2-3 months. We will issue all sorts of bonds, we have to decide because we have just received the ratings. And also approach all sorts of sustainable and green financing funds,” he added.
He said that now after securing the sovereign rating IRDEA will be tapping the overseas market to further bring down the borrowing cost.
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