(Adds analyst comment, details.)
By Jeffrey Sparshott
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Kazakh miner Kazakhmys PLC (KAZ.LN) Tuesday said it sold a 25% stake in the country's biggest power station to a national investment fund for $339 million in cash.
Kazakhmys in May 2008 purchased the Ekibastuz GRES-1 power station for $1.1 billion, making the miner the country's biggest power generator.
But a sharp downturn in commodity markets cut into the company's cashflow soon after it raised $2.1 billion, in part to finance the purchase, limiting its capital spending and pushing it to cancel dividends.
Kazakhmys Tuesday said it would use the funds to pay down debt. Net debt stood at $1.57 billion at mid-year.
"We think it is an excellent move," said Troika Dialog analyst Mikhail Stiskin. The sale improves the company's funding position and reduces its exposure to the power industry, which was a drag on the company's value, he said.
Kazakhmys sold the stake to Samruk-Kazyna JSC, a government-owned national welfare fund and indirect shareholder in the miner. The purchase price implies a gross valuation for the power plant of $1.36 billion, the company said.
The plant has the capacity to increase generation to 4,000 megawatts from 2,250 MW over the next five years.
"Ekibastuz is a key strategic asset in Kazakhstan and this agreement will assist its long-term development and return to full capacity," Kazakhmys Chief Executive Oleg Novachuk said in a statement.
Kazakhmys is the country's biggest copper miner. The metal accounted for 63% of the company's first-half earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Power contributed 5.7% to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda.
At 0821 GMT, its shares were down 16 pence, or 1.4%, at 1157 pence in a broadly weaker mining sector.
Company Web site: www.kazakhmys.com
-By Jeffrey Sparshott, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0)207 842 9347; jeffrey.sparshott@dowjones.com