JUNE-JULY 2018 JAN-FEB 2018 | Page 11

Merger & ACquisition ONGC acquires 51.11% stake of President of India in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) has entered into a share purchase agreement with the President for acquiring the 778,845,375 equity shares of HPCL (representing 51.11% of HPCL) for creating an ‘oil major’ which will be able to match the performance of international and domestic private sector oil and gas companies As the Government of India (GOI) through President of India, being the promoter of ONGC (holding 67.72%) and HPCL (holding 51.11%) is the seller, the transaction is a related party transaction between the Government and a government company. The acquisition has been undertaken in furtherance of the Government’s objective to combine the various central public sector enterprises to give them capacity to bear higher risks, avail economies of scale, take higher investment decisions and create more value for the stakeholders and create an ‘oil major’ which will be able to match the performance of international and domestic private sector oil and gas companies. ONGC expects that as an integrated oil conglomerate, its performance will be less affected by the volatility of crude prices due to diversification of its cash flows to midstream and downstream presence through HPCL, lower earnings volatility, diversified cash flows and lower business risk resulting in better valuation and higher shareholder value. HPCL and ONGC have a complimentary asset portfolio and through this acquisition, ONGC is gaining a midstream and downstream presence and access to a marketing network. ONGC will also gain access to marketing network of HPCL which could be synergistically utilised for projects such as MRPL, OPaL. About ONGC ONGC is the largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in India, contributing around 70 per cent of Indian domestic production. ONGC’s market capitalization as on 19th January, 2018, was INR 248451 Crore. During the financial year ended 31st March 2017, ONGC Group had produced 61.60 million tonne of oil and oil equivalent gas (mmtoe); the Consolidated Gross Turnover was INR 142149 Crores, Consolidated Net Profit was INR 20498 Crore for the year 2016-17 and total oil and gas reserves were 2,142 mmtoe as on 31st March 2017. www.ongcindia.com About HPCL Standard Refining Company of India Limited was incorporated in 1952, and its name was changed to ESSO Standard Refining Company of India Limited (ESSO) in 1962. HPCL was formed in 1974 pursuant to the acquisition of shares in ESSO by Government of India and subsequent merger of ESSO and Lube India Limited. Thereafter, Government of India acquired shares of Caltex Oil Refining (India) Limited in 1976 and merged it with HPCL in 1978. Kosana’s Company was merged with HPCL in 1979. HPCL is currently a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) with majority shareholding (51.11%) by President of India The equity shares of HPCL are listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange. www.hindustanpetroleum.com ExxonMobil completes LNG Acquisition in Mozambique Area4 ExxonMobil announced the completion of a transaction by ExxonMobil Development Africa B.V. to acquire a 25 percent indirect interest in Mozambique’s gas-rich Area 4 block from Eni and assume responsibility for midstream operations. ExxonMobil will lead the construction and operation of all future natural gas liquefaction and related facilities, while Eni will continue to lead the Coral floating LNG project and all upstream operations. The operating model will enable the use of best practices and skills with each company focusing on distinct and clearly defined scopes while preserving the benefits of an integrated project. Natural gas is projected to be the world’s fastest-growing major fuel source, and Mozambique is well- positioned to supply LNG customers around the world. The deepwater Area 4 block contains an estimated 85 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in place. ExxonMobil now owns a 35.7 percent interest in Eni East Africa S.p.A. (to be renamed Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A.), which holds a 70 percent interest in Area 4, and is co-owned with Eni (35.7 percent) and CNPC (28.6 percent). The remaining interests in Area 4 are held by Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos E.P. (10 percent), Kogas (10 percent) and Galp Energia (10 percent). About ExxonMobil ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international energy company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry- leading inventory of resources, is one of the largest refiners and marketers of petroleum products, and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world. www.exxonmobil.com may 2018 Global MDA Journal 11