Adani invests Rs 200 billion to quadruple ports by 2030

Karan Adani, the chief executive officer of Adani Ports & SEZ (AP&SEZ), announced that the Adani group was planning a significant investment of up to Rs 20,000 crore to expand its cargo capacity at ports four times to 1 billion tonnes by 2030, aiming to become the world's largest company in this field. He stated in an interaction that the group might consider global acquisitions if they find a suitable local partner in a country with economic and political stability. Adani revealed that the group had recently acquired Haifa Port in Israel for $1.2 billion and was now looking to acquire ports in East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania), Vietnam, and some in the Mediterranean Sea. He emphasized that the overseas ports they consider must have strong trade ties with India and a robust domestic economy. Adani mentioned that political stability was a crucial factor in their investment decisions, acknowledging that many governments worldwide were looking to privatize their ports. Regarding the situation in Haifa Port due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Adani reassured that it had not impacted operations. He expressed confidence in their investment and stated that they had expected some disruption during their due diligence process. Currently, only 3% of AP&SEZ volumes come from Haifa Port. Adani outlined the company's plans to invest Rs 50-60 billion annually in expanding its capacity, funded by the company's annual free cash flow of Rs 70-80 billion. Additionally, he mentioned the company's intention to buy back its entire foreign exchange bonds of $650 million by January. Moreover, Adani shared details about the Vizhinjam project, stating thaot its estimated project cost for the first phase was Rs 7,700 crore. The project involved a private-public partnership (PPP) component, funded work, external support infrastructure, land cost, and rehabilitation expenses.