First Holdings Mulls Options On BG Group's Stake Sale Plan In Power Plants
September 29 2010 - 11:22PM
Dow Jones News
First Philippine Holdings Inc. (FPH.PH) said Thursday it is
reviewing its options on BG Group PLC's (BG.LN) plan to sell a 40%
stake in the two power plants it operates in partnership with the
Philippine firm.
BG Group plans to sell its stake in the two Philippine natural
gas-fired power plants for $400 million to Korea Electric Co. (KEP)
as part of the U.K. company's divestment of power generation assets
to focus on developing large oil discoveries in Brazil. First
Holdings and its power generation unit, First Gen Corp. (FGEN.PH),
hold 60% of those power plants.
"The right of first refusal on the 40% stake is just one of the
possible options we are currently reviewing," First Holdings Chief
Financial Officer Giles Puno told Dow Jones Newswires. The right
effectively allows First Holdings to match Korea Electric's offer
for the 40% stake.
Puno refused to discussed the other options regarding the
1,000-megawatt Santa Rita power plant and the 500-megawatt San
Lorenzo facility, both of which provide electricity to the
Philippine capital. The plans were commissioned in 2000 and 2002,
respectively, with a combined construction cost of around $1.4
billion.
-By Cris Larano, Dow Jones Newswires; 632-848-5051;
cris.larano@dowjones.com