Sao Paulo, Oct 3 - Bermuda-based Cosan Ltd said on Thursday it has signed a purchase agreement with Gavea Investimentos Ltda to raise $180 million through a private placement.
Cosan Ltd is the holding company of Cosan S.A. , one of Brazil's top sugar and ethanol groups.
Gavea agreed to invest up to $130 million to acquire up to 16,455,696 Cosan's new class A common shares, including Brazilian Depositary Shares at $7.90 per share.
The controlling shareholder of Cosan Ltd, Rubens Ometto Silveira Mello, will invest $50 million to acquire 6,329,114 common shares at the same price per share.
"The proceeds raised in this private placement will be used to strengthen the capital structure of Cosan Group to support its growth including for possible future acquisitions and other general corporate purposes," the company said in a statement.
Cosan S.A. has announced recently plans of building new mills, expanding some of the existing ones and investing in cogeneration of electric energy and logistics in Brazil.
The company approved in September an increase of 880 million reais of its capital by private subscription, to guarantee money for ongoing projects and investments at a time of shrinking credit to companies, Cosan said.
Gavea Investimentos, the fund of former Brazilian central bank president Arminio Fraga, already had a stake in Cosan's capital.
The number of common shares and BDRs to be purchased by Gavea may be reduced if existing shareholders of Cosan Ltd participate in the subscription offer, but its total investment will not be less than $90 million, Cosan said.