Cathy Chan

Bakrie May Win Berau Coal Bid From Armadian

The Bakrie group is likely to be selected as buyer of PT Berau Coal, the country’s fifth-largest coal producer, two people familiar with the matter said.

PT Armadian Tritunggal is in advanced talks to sell 90 percent of Berau Coal, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private.

Armadian is seeking about $1.3 billion for the stake, one of the people said.

Berau Coal’s profit may more than double this year to $180 million, president director Bob Kamandanu said last month.

Benchmark coal prices may average $80 a metric ton next year compared with an estimated $70 this year, he said.

Coal producers in Indonesia, the world’s largest exporter of power-station coal, produced 72 million metric tons of the fuel in the first six months of the year, or 31 percent of this year’s output target of 230 million tons.

Armadian is in talks with Recapital Advisors, backed by the Bakrie family, about the Berau Coal stake, the people said.

Handy Soetedjo, director of Armadian, declined to comment. Lalu Mara Satria Wangsa, a spokesman for the Bakrie group, didn’t immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment.

Holding company PT Bakrie and Brothers is the biggest shareholder of PT Bumi Resources, Indonesia’s largest coal producer.

Kamandanu said in May that the company hired bankers to review its assets for a possible share sale. In an interview on Tuesday, Kamandanu said he couldn’t comment on the status of bidding, adding that Armadian “is trying to finalize all the details.”

Deutsche Bank AG, Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch and PacBridge Capital Partners were hired to review the company’s assets, according to the people.

Officials at the investment banks declined to comment.

Bloomberg

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