A TransCanada Mexican pipeline is drawing significant interest from pension funds. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Borealis Infrastructure Corp. have created a consortium in order to purchase up to 49.9 percent of the business, which has been estimated to be worth some US$2 billion.
Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec's new Mexican joint venture, CKD Infraestructura Mexico SA, are also interested in purchasing stakes, along with three other unnamed businesses.
That information comes from a source with knowledge of the situation who spoke to Bloomberg but asked not to be identified. TransCanada spokesman Mark Cooper has confirmed the company is seeking investors but would not comment beyond that. The Calgary-based company is trying to sell its minority stake in the pipeline, along with power plants in the northeastern United States to generate cash to buy Columbia pipeline Group Inc. That deal is estimated at US$10.2 billion.
Mexico is increasingly drawing the attention of investors. The country recently began a US$411 billion plan for its infrastructure, focusing on transportation and energy. Canada Pension and the Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan already made an investment last month in a toll road operator in Mexico.
In June, the company announced it would build and operate a US$2.1 billion natural gas pipeline in Mexico. The company said it would parent with Sempra Energy's IEnova unit, with TransCanada owning a 60 percent stake in the venture. The effort will be backed by Mexico's state-owned power company and is expected to be in service by 2018. TransCanada recently made news in the United States when it announced a lawsuit against the state because of the suspension of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project.
By Lincoln Brown for Oilprice.com
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