Abu Dhabi National Energy Company swung to a first-quarter loss as revenue decreased and impairment losses climbed amid lcoronavirus pandemic. Ravindranath K / The National
Abu Dhabi National Energy Company swung to a first-quarter loss as revenue decreased and impairment losses climbed amid lcoronavirus pandemic. Ravindranath K / The National
Abu Dhabi National Energy Company swung to a first-quarter loss as revenue decreased and impairment losses climbed amid lcoronavirus pandemic. Ravindranath K / The National
Abu Dhabi National Energy Company swung to a first-quarter loss as revenue decreased and impairment losses climbed amid lcoronavirus pandemic. Ravindranath K / The National

Taqa board approves asset swap deal with ADPower to create utilities champion


Sarmad Khan
  • English
  • Arabic

The board of Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) gave the nod to a sale and purchase agreement for its asset swap deal with Abu Dhabi Power Corporation (ADPower) that will create a regional utilities champion.

Taqa's board also approved the issuance of a mandatory convertible bond to ADPower for the planned deal, it said in a statement to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, where its shares trade. The energy firm has also recommended its shareholders to approve the deal at the annual general assembly due to be held on April 29.

ADPower in February submitted an offer to transfer most of its water and electricity generation, transmission and distribution companies portfolio to Taqa. The assets, worth approximately Dh120 billion at the end of 2018, generated a cumulative net profit of Dh4.8bn, the two firms said in statement at the time.

Taqa, as part of the deal, will issue 106.3 billion shares to ADPower, which means that once the deal is executed, AD Power will own 98.6 per cent of Taqa's entire share capital, placing a value on Taqa of Dh4.16bn.

The combined entity will have total assets worth Dh200bn, with more than 85 per cent of its revenue coming from regulated and contracted businesses, the companies said.

The transaction will allow the joint entity to have a "strong platform for new projects locally and internationally," the company's chief executive, Jasim Thabet, told The National in an interview at the time.

Following the deal announcement, Moody's Investors Service placed all the ratings of Taqa under review for an upgrade.

“The review for upgrade reflects Moody's view that a successful transfer of the ADPower assets would reinforce the strategic importance of Taqa for the government of Abu Dhabi,” it said in a February 13 statement.

ADPower owns several power and utility subsidies in Abu Dhabi. The deal with Taqa is part of ongoing efforts in the UAE capital to consolidate assets. The emirate has already seen large-scale mergers in the banking and finance industry following the slide in oil prices in 2016.

The deal would make the new entity one of the top utility companies in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region and also make Taqa one of the largest-listed companies on the Abu Dhabi stock market.

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
T20 World Cup Qualifier

October 18 – November 2

Opening fixtures

Friday, October 18

ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya

Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE

UAE squad

Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan

Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed

Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed

Zakat definitions

Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.

Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.

Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.

Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.

Dunki
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Profile

Company: Libra Project

Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware

Launch year: 2017

Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time

Sector: Renewable energy

Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to register as a donor

1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention

2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants

3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register. 

4) The campaign uses the hashtag  #donate_hope