Mittal sees no M&A targets in India

  • 11/09/2008

  • Business Standard (New Delhi)

World's richest Indian Lakshmi Mittal, known for creating the world's largest steel empire mostly through merger and acquisitions, said that there was no Indian company on his takeover radar. "It is very unlikely that we get an M&A opportunity in India as Indian entrepreneurs are doing very well and whatever expansion we are planning in India would be through greenfield projects," Mittal said in New Delhi. "It is very unlikely for us to do an M&A deal in India," he said. Globally, ArcelorMittal has spent 21 billion dollars in merger and acquisitions over the past couple of years in steel, iron ore and distribution deals, most of which have been in the US and Mexico, Mittal said. The company plans to invest 50 billion dollars across the world, excluding India, to expand its steel making capacity from 110 MT to 130 MT by 2012, he said. However, this investment would be mostly in brown-field expansion at its existing facilities. Besides, the company plans to expand its iron ore capacity from 45 MT currently to 110 MT by 2012, which would be about 75 per cent of its requirements. Some of the recent deals announced by Mittal include acquisition of Koppers' Monessen Coke Plant in the US, a 49-per cent stake in Brazilian mining company MPP, an electrical steel JV agreement with Valin in China, acquisition of Brazilian iron ore miner London Mining Brasil and acquisition of coking coal producer Concept Group. The company has recently also acquired 100 per cent holding in Rolanfer Recyclage of France, besides acquisitions like Astralloy, Mid Vol Coal Group, Bayou Steel and Canadian metals recycler Bakermet.