Vedanta Resources, the mining and energy company controlled by Indian billionaire Anil Agarwal, is considering listing its Zambian copper unit to raise the funds it needs to invest in the asset.
“Listing is an option,” Ajay Goel, chief financial officer of Mumbai-listed Vedanta Ltd., said on Friday. “It is hard to give a timeline definitely, but it’s under active consideration.”
He did not provide details on the size or location of the potential float.
The company regained control of the Konkola Copper Mines assets in Zambia last year, after the southern African nation’s government triggered its provisional liquidation about five years earlier, accusing Vedanta of lying about expansion plans and paying too little tax. The company has pledged to invest US$1 billion in the operation as part of negotiations with the state to secure its return to Konkola.
