ONGC Raises $2.2 Billion via Overseas Bond Sale

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), the country's largest oil explorer, on Tuesday raised a whopping $2.214 billion (Rs 13,284 crore at 1 dollar = 60 rupees) - the largest bond sale from the country - through dual tranche money to fund its overseas arm ONGC Videsh Limited's (OVL) Mozambique asset purchase.

The issue involved $1.5 billion of dollar money and 525 million in euros ($714 million at current exchange rate), merchant bankers told PTI.

They said this is the largest dual currency RegS issuance from Asia, apart from being the first-ever euro issuance from a quasi-sovereign corporate. It is also the first dual currency RegS issuance from the country.

The RegS issue (which is not sold to resident American investors) has three tenures- $750 million of 5-year money and the rest is of 10-year tenor, while the euro issue is a 7-year money, said the merchant bankers, which include RBS, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, Standard Chartered and Citigroup.

The company could not be immediately reached for comments. The issue is also said to have got one of the tightest spreads for issuance across 5-year dollar and 7-year euro issue.

While the dollar issue got an over-subscription of over $6 billion, the euro issue got demands worth 1.8 billion more than the platter.

While the 5-year dollar issue got priced at US treasury plus 160 bps (against a guidance of 180 bps), the 10-year issue is priced at T plus 207 bps. The 7-year euro tranche is priced at MS+180 bps.

The effective coupon for these tenures works out to 3.25 per cent for the 5 year tranche, 4.625 per cent for the 10- year tranche and 2.75 per cent for the euro issue.

While 55 per cent of the 5-year dollar issue are Asians, the reset 45 per cent are European investors, for the 10-year money was lapped up by Europeans (45 per cent) and 47 per cent by Asians. As much as 78 per cent of the euro money was lapped by Europeans and 21 per cent by Asians.

ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) is the overseas arm of the state-owned ONGC and the money raised will be used to fund its acquisition of 10 per cent stake in a giant Mozambique gas field, which it had bought last August for $2.6 billion from the US energy major Anadarko Corporation.