An investor group backed by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and Brookfield Asset Management Inc. is seeking a loan of about $8 billion to finance the potential purchase of a stake in Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.’s natural gas pipelines, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The consortium – which also includes Italian infrastructure operator Snam SpA, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan and Singapore sovereign fund GIC Pte – has reached out to banks to gauge their interest in participating, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.
No final agreements have been reached, and details of the financing could change, the people said. Representatives for Snam and GIC declined to comment, while representatives for the other consortium members didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Only bidder
The group is the only remaining bidder for a 49 percent stake in Adnoc’s $15bn pipeline business after other parties, including Australian fund manager IFM Investors Pty, dropped out, people with knowledge of the matter said earlier this month.
The financing deal could be one of the largest for an infrastructure asset this year.
Despite the coronavirus crisis – which has crippled deal-making globally – infrastructure investors have been defying the downturn to deploy capital. KKR & Co.’s infrastructure arm last month said it will buy the waste-management arm of UK utility owner Pennon Group Plc for $5bn, one of the biggest deals since the pandemic hit.
The United Arab Emirates, of which Abu Dhabi is the capital, is among Persian Gulf oil producers using their energy assets to draw fresh capital to the region.
In Saudi Arabia, Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer, is weighing the sale of a stake in its pipeline unit to raise money amid a slump in crude prices, according to people familiar with the matter.
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