Adani Group is offering shipments of coal at a discount, according to people with knowledge of the matter, a sign the embattled conglomerate may be seeking to sell cargoes quickly as its liquidity position comes under increased scrutiny.
The group’s traders are offering to sell several coal shipments from Australia and Indonesia at discounts of about 4% relative to Asia’s price benchmarks, the people said, requesting anonymity to discuss private details. While Adani hasn’t spelt out its motivation for offering discounts and it’s not the only producer doing so, the move suggests the firm is eager to offload the cargoes swiftly, the people said.
An Adani representative declined to immediately comment when reached by phone.
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Coal prices have dropped on wavering demand for the fuel, with several suppliers resorting to discounts to find buyers from uncontracted shipments. Asia’s benchmark Newcastle coal futures traded at $231 a ton Thursday and have fallen by about half since touching a record in September.
Adani has coal mines with more than 50 million tons of capacity across Indonesia, Australia and India, producing fuel both for sale in global markets and to be used in Adani’s own power stations.
The conglomerate’s cash position entered the spotlight after allegations of fraud by short-seller Hindenburg Research sent its shares and bonds tumbling. In a sign that global banks have become warier of funding Adani’s empire, negotiations over the refinancing of a $500 million bridge loan stalled after the Hindenburg report. That prompted a decision by the group to repay the debt early instead.
Adani has repeatedly denied Hindenburg’s allegations and said the group’s balance sheet is healthy.
