Investors to submit final bid on Aneka Tambang soon
Investors to submit final bid on Aneka Tambang soon
JAKARTA (JP): The government expects to receive final binding
bids from investors interested in acquiring a stake in the state-
owned mining company, PT Aneka Tambang (Antam) next week, a
minister said.
State Minister of the Empowerment of State Enterprises Tanri
Abeng said on Thursday the government would remain majority
shareholder in the general mining company, but would consider
selling most of its stake if the move proved beneficial.
"We are still studying the possibility of surrendering a
majority stake if it will be more profitable," he said, at a
ceremony to present a London Bullion Market Association
certification award to Antam, which is listed on the Jakarta
Stock Exchange.
He declined to provide further details on the sale.
The government currently owns a 65 percent stake in Antam,
while the remaining 35 percent is owned by the public through the
stock market.
The company's president, Dedy Aditya Sumanegara, said the
company had appointed a sponsor broker from Australia to help the
privatization deal. He provided no further details.
Dedy said company's sales last year were "close to US$100
million".
Antam, which produces various minerals including ferronickel,
nickel ore, gold and silver, is one of 10 state-owned companies
the government plans to privatize this year, in order to raise $1
billion to fill the state budget deficit.
The nine other companies are telecommunications firm PT
Telkom, toll road operator PT Jasa Marga, coal mining operation
PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam, steelmaker PT Krakatau Steel,
fertilizer manufacturers PT Pupuk Sriwijaya and PT Pupuk Kaltim,
airport management firm PT Angkasa Pura I, plantation company PT
Perkebunan Nusantara III and port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia
I.
Meanwhile, the Philippine's International Container Terminal
Services Inc. (ICTSI) said on Thursday it would submit next week
its bid for the contract to manage and operate the Surabaya port
in East Java.
Dow Jones News Wires quoted ICTSI spokeswoman Narlene Soriano
as saying that the deadline for the bids was sometime next week.
ICTSI failed to secure a stake in PT Jakarta International
container Terminal, a unit of state-owned port operator PT
Pelindo II.
The stake would have enabled ICTSI to operate and manage
containers I and II of the container port at the city's busy
Tanjung Priok Port for 25 years. (das)