Cheung Kong Infrastructure (CKI) is planning to sell at least A$1 billion (US $756 million) worth of shares in its Australian energy business through an initial public offering, a newspaper reported on August 27.
The company, controlled by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd, may sell the energy distribution business as an investment trust so CKI can earn fees by managing the business, English daily The Standard quoted sources familiar with the transaction as saying.
No-one at CKI was immediately available for comment.
But CKI Chairman Victor Li said earlier this year that the company was considering a separate listing of its Australian investments. He did not give any timetable.
The Australian IPO would not take place until a ruling on energy tariffs by regulators was completed, the sources told The Standard.
The spin-off of the assets, which CKI owns jointly with its Hong Kong electricity supplier unit Hongkong Electric Holdings Ltd, is clouded by the prospect that Australian regulators may cut electricity distribution prices there.
Banking sources have told Reuters that Deutsche Bank, Citigroup and Merrill Lynch are jointly working on a deal to spin off CKI's Australian power assets.
The CKI and Hongkong Electric joint venture owns three power distributors - ETSA Utilities Partnership, CitiPower I Pty Ltd and Powercor Australia Ltd - and has a total of about 1.7 million electricity customers.
JP Morgan analysts have said CKI could raise HK$6.5 billion ($833 million) by selling shares in the Australian energy business and that would lead to an one-off gain of HK$2.4 billion.
Deutsche will take the lead in the IPO with secondary roles assigned to Citigroup and Merrill Lynch, The Standard said.
CKI, which is 84.58 percent owned by Hutchison, invests in energy, water supply, toll roads and tunnels in Australia.
Shares in the company have risen about 26 percent over the past year and closed at HK$23.95 on Friday.
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