Orix announces plan to sell stake in Greenko to promoter; invest $750 mn in AM Green

New Delhi: AM Green B.V., owned by Greenko Group founders Anil Chalamalasetty and Mahesh Kolli, on Monday said it had signed definitive documents to acquire a 17.5% equity stake in Greenko Energy Holdings from Japan’s financial services firm Orix Corp., in what will be among the largest transactions in India’s green energy space.

As part of this transaction, which is expected to close by July, Orix has also entered into an agreement to invest in a convertible note issued by AM Green (Luxembourg) S.à.r.l. The deal is part of Orix’s capital recycling strategy, and it values Greenko Energy at $7.5 billion.

Mint reported about the $1.4 billion deal on Sunday and that the deal will be announced on Monday. Under the terms of the deal, Orix gets $650 million in cash, plus $750 million worth of stock, amounting to 10% in AM Green through convertible notes. Chalamalasetty and Kolli will own the remaining 90% stake in AM Green. A private credit debt of $650 million was raised for the deal.

“If the sale price is estimated using the exchange rate as of June 27, 2025, ($1 = ¥144.58), Orix expects to record a gain on the sale of approximately ¥93.4 billion ($647.58 million) (including the valuation gain on the 2.5% stake which we will continue to hold) in the consolidated financial statements in the second quarter for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026,” the statement said.

“AM Green B.V. has a call option on the remaining 2.5% stake that ORIX Corp. holds in Greenko Energy Holdings for 18 months. The plan is to acquire that portion as well, valued at around $150 million,” said a person aware of the development, requesting anonymity.

AM Green Group president and Greenko Group president and joint managing director Mahesh Kolli declined to comment on the remaining 2.5% stake sale.

Once the transaction is concluded, Chalamalasetty and Kolli will hold 28% stake in Hyderabad-based Greenko Energy, through their personal stakes as well as the stake held by AM Green, while sovereign wealth funds GIC Holdings Pte. Ltd, and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) will hold 58% and 14% respectively.

Greenko portfolio

Greenko has a 10 gigawatt (GW) operational portfolio of wind, solar, hydro, and pumped storage projects; with another 20 GW under construction. It is also eyeing new areas of business, including nuclear power, and participated in Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd’s (NPCIL) process called for setting up small modular reactors for captive consumption.

Greenko is also jointly developing India's largest electrolyzer plant of 2 GW annual production capacity with John Cockerill in Kakinada.

“ORIX has supported Greenko’s business growth since it invested in March 2021. ORIX decided to sell 17.5% of the 20% share holdings in Greenko and invest in AMG Lux as part of its capital recycling strategy. ORIX aims to invest in the next generation of the energy sector (including green molecules) by using part of these funds, an area expected to grow rapidly as the world works towards achieving decarbonization,” the Orix statement said.

The deal has been in the works for some time, and Orix terminated the pact on 25 April for not meeting the conditions precedent.

“ORIX had announced in January 2025 that it had entered into a share transfer agreement of Greenko and a new investment in AMG Lux, but because the conditions precedent had not been satisfied, the agreement had been terminated in April 2025. However, after further consideration among related parties, we have decided to reenter into this agreement,” the Orix statement said.

“Regulatory approvals under the Indian Competition Act have already been obtained, and ORIX plans to complete the partial transfer of Greenko shares and underwriting of the convertible notes by the end of July 2025,” the Orix statement added.

AM Green, on its part, has been putting the downstream piece together and is setting up production facilities for green molecules; including green hydrogen, green ammonia, biofuels, e-methanol, sustainable aviation fuels, and various downstream high-value chemicals, for decarbonization in hard-to-abate industries.

“This transaction is a key milestone in building one of the world’s fully integrated and scalable green energy platforms,” said Anil Chalamalasetty, founder and CEO of AM Green, in the statement.

It plans to produce 5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of green ammonia, with the first 1 mtpa project in Kakinada expected to be commissioned in 2026. The project, which includes a green hydrogen unit and ammonia conversion plant at a repurposed urea facility acquired earlier this year, will cost about ₹12,500 crore. AM Green has already signed offtake agreements with major buyers including Uniper, Yara, and Keppel.

Mint earlier reported that AM Green is entering into 2G, or second-generation biofuels, and plans to invest $1 billion in setting up two bioethanol plants in the country. AM Green acquired Finnish state-run energy power utility Fortum Oyj and Chempolis Oy’s 50% stake in their joint venture—Assam Bio Refinery Pvt. Ltd—and also the Oulu-headquartered biotechnology firm Chempolis Oy.