MUMBAI, Feb 19: Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company plans to complete the demerger of its agriculture arm by April, a key step ahead of its planned initial public offering for December, a top official has said.
“We are targeting an IPO by December for MSEDCL (Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company), and before that, we will demerge our agriculture business, which we aim to complete by April,” its Chairman and Managing Director Lokesh Chandra told PTI on the sidelines of the Mumbai Climate Week.
The agriculture segment will be carved out as a separate company, not a subsidiary, ensuring its liabilities do not remain on the balance sheet of the core distribution utility, Chandra said.
MSEDCL carries total dues of about Rs 96,000 crore, of which nearly Rs 76,000 crore relates to unpaid agricultural consumption, he said.
The accumulation of these arrears has led to higher working capital borrowings and financial strain, despite the core distribution business being operationally viable, Chandra added.
Post-demerger in April, the residual entity will retain debt of roughly Rs 20,000 crore, which the company considers sustainable, he added.
Following the carve-out, the company will undertake a balance sheet clean-up and debt restructuring before launching the IPO process. The listing is targeted for completion by December this year, Chandra said.
The government is planning to dilute up to 10 per cent stake in the company through the IPO, he said, adding that IPO proceeds are likely to be deployed towards capital expenditure in transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced that the state’s intent to list the energy utilities, including MSEDCL and also the generation and transmission arms in December 2025. He hinted that the process will start with the listing of the transmission company in 2026.
Chandra said that discussions with the state government are underway to address agriculture-related arrears. Once resolved, the restructuring is expected to strengthen financial metrics and improve valuation prospects at the time of listing.
The company expects to save nearly Rs 66,000 crore in power procurement costs over the next five years through a strategic shift towards renewable energy backed by optimal storage planning.
The utility has redesigned its resource adequacy and power procurement plan to raise the share of renewables from around 15 per cent currently to 52 per cent, while carefully balancing solar, wind and storage capacities, he said. (PTI)
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