Vedanta beats Adani Group with Rs 17,000 crore bid to acquire Jaiprakash Associates

Mining conglomerate Vedanta on Friday beat Gautam Adani’s Group to make a winning bid for the acquisition of debt-ridden Jaiprakash Associates (JAL) for Rs 17,000 crore, according to sources.

The bid value translates into Jaiprakash Associates’ net present value of Rs 12,505 crore.JAL, which has interests in real estate, cement, power, hotels and roads, has been dragged into insolvency proceedings after it defaulted on payment of loans.

Lenders of JAL conducted a challenge process for the sale of the company under the IBC.Multiple bidders participated in the process, but in the end, firm bids were placed by only two entities, Adani and Vedanta Group.Vedanta eventually made a winning bid of Rs 17,000 crore, which translated into a NPV (net present value) of Rs 12,505 crore, beating Adani Group, sources said.

The Committee of Creditors (CoC) meeting was held on September 5 to conduct the challenge process.Financial creditors have claimed a staggering Rs 57,185 crore in unpaid dues.The National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL) leads the list of claimants after acquiring the stressed JAL loans from a consortium of lenders headed by the State Bank of India.