NTPC registers 14% increase in PBT in FY20 amid low power demand

Gross power generation & PLF witness fall, income rises by only 9%

The country’s largest power generating company, state owned NTPC Limited registered a 14.15 per cent increase in profit before tax (PBT) for FY20. The company’s PBT stood at Rs 14,465.92 crore in FY20 against Rs 12,672.52 crore in FY19.

For the fourth quarter of FY20, the PBT increased by 24 per cent to Rs 4383.77 crore. Total income of the company for the last quarter was Rs 28,278.75 crore, while for the whole financial year it was Rs 1,00,478 crore – a 9 per cent increase over the last fiscal.

Barring three months, power demand growth during the last financial year was negative. This impacted the gross power generation and plant load factor (PLF), or operating ratio of NTPC, during the year. Gross power generation fell by 5.4 per cent year-on-year and PLF registered a decline of 11.06 per cent.

NTPC, in a separate notice to the exchanges regarding ‘impact of Covid-19’, said the demand of power would continue to be low in the short-term and so will be the PLF of its units.

“The company is in the business of generation and sale of electricity which is an essential service. The company has ensured the availability of its power plants to generate power and has continued to supply power during the period  of  lockdown.  However, for the short-term period the demand of power is expected to be lower and accordingly, the company may have to operate its power at lower load factor, however, as per the regulatory framework of business this would not have a significant impact on profitability,” said the notice from NTPC.

As part of the Aatmnirbhar Package for economic revival, NTPC was directed by the Centre to defer capacity charges to the power distribution companies. NTPC in its disclosure said it had deferred capacity charges of Rs 2,064 crore to discoms - “to be payable without interest after the end of the lockdown period in three equal monthly instalments.”

It has also offered a rebate of Rs 1,363 crore on the capacity charges billed during the lock-down period to discoms on account of Covid-19, in financial year 2020-21.

“The above amounts are provisional and may vary due to reconciliation of related data. The Company believes that the impact is likely to be short term in nature. Moreover, the above referred economic and comprehensive package is expected to improve the realization of the company against the outstanding dues of discoms due to liquidity infusion,” NTPC said.