NTPC's Rs 700 crore tax-free bonds to open on September 23

40% of the issue or Rs 280 crore is reserved for allocation to retail category

State-run power utility NTPC's Rs 700 crore public issue for tax-free bonds will open on Wednesday, of which 40% or Rs 280 crore is reserved for retail investors.

The company will open the public issue of Rs 700 crore tax-free bonds on September 23 for which the government had given approval, NTPC Chairman and Managing Director A K Jha told reporters in a press conference here.

Earlier in July, the government had approved the plan to raise Rs 1,000 crore through tax-free bonds, including Rs 700 crore through public issue.

NTPC was among seven state-run entities, including NHAI and IRFC, which were given permission to raise Rs 40,000 crore in the current fiscal through tax-free bonds.

"The 40% of the issue i.e Rs 280 crore is reserved for allocation to retail category. The remaining issue will be for non-retail investors including QIB, corporates and High Networth Indians," NTPC Director (Finance) K Biswal said.

He further said: "For a person in 30% tax bracket the effective pre tax yield is 10.88% approx in 20 year option. The coupons (rates) are attractive than the returns from FD (fixed deposits) returns which hover in the range of 7.5 to 8.75% per annum for various maturities," Biswal said.

The issues has three tenures -- 10 years, 15 years and 20 years.

For retail investors the coupon rate is 7.36% for 10 years tenure, 7.53% for 15 years and 7.62% for 20 years.

Similarly for non-retail investors, the coupon rate is 7.11% for 10 years, 7.28% for 15 years and 7.37% for 20 years.

Against the allocation of Rs 1,000 crore tax free bonds, the company has already issues Rs 300 crore on private placement basis to institutional investors which was oversubscribed by 7.25 per times.

On the capital expenditure, Jha said that the company may surpass the target of Rs 23,000 crore for the current fiscal and its has already spent Rs 5,850 crore in first quarter of 2015-16.