Private equity investors are showing a greater interest in special economic zones in the country, according to ICICI Venture, one of the major PE players.
In a write-up, which forms part of a report titled ‘Private Equity Impact 2008´ released by Venture Intelligence, which tracks private equity and venture capital investments in India, ICICI Venture said: “PE investors are finding SEZ story interesting and are increasingly making larger and more investments in SEZs in the country.”
The report has listed recent PE investments in SEZs such as the one by ICICI Venture, which has invested $40 million in an IT/ITES zone in Hyderabad and DLF’s receiving $400 million from US hedge fund DE Shaw.
Besides, it noted, that Trinity capital has invested about $75 million in Luxor Cyber City and Mundra Port and SEZ receiving an unspecified private equity investment before its IPO.
According to ICICI Venture, while private equity would be willing to come into large SEZs, they are also talking to some of the developers of smaller SEZs for pharma, gems and jewellery, and textiles.
The PE firm said in the report that development of land and the built-up space accounts for 90% of total cost of SEZs.
“Smaller SEZs offer a higher risk-adjusted return,” it noted while observing that, “among large SEZs, the interesting targets would be port-SEZ, or airport-SEZ combinations”.
In case state entities develop large SEZs, private equity investors could come in to own a stake in such SEZs as well, the PE firm said in its analysis.
Source: Livemint