Adani revives capex plans for $1.5 billion

In November 2021, the Adani group stated it would invest $70 billion in new energy over the next decade

- Anirudh Laskar

Adani Enterprises Ltd, the group holding company with business interests ranging from seaports to airports, has revived its capex plan after a four-month pause, with a planned initial investment of $1.5 billion to kickstart its new businesses, two people familiar with the matter said.

The flagship company, which cancelled its fundraising plan in February, is planning to pump fresh investments into solar module manufacturing, green hydrogen, Navi Mumbai Airport and data centres (Adani ConneX).

“A major portion of the proceeds from the qualified institutional placement (QIP) will be used for new businesses, where capex plans were put on hold due to the cancellation of the FPO (follow-on public offering)," one of the two people said, requesting anonymity.

On Saturday, the boards of Adani Enterprises and Adani Transmission cleared plans to raise up to ₹12,500 crore and ₹8,500 crore, respectively, via QIPs.

Adani Enterprises’ FPO, aimed at raising ₹20,000 crore was hit by a scathing report by short-seller Hindenburg Research, which alleged the group had manipulated stocks and committed accounting fraud. The FPO was cancelled in February after significant volatility in Adani stocks.