Essar Energy full-year earnings beat expectations

REUTERS - Essar Energy Plc reported better-than-expected full-year earnings as improving refining capacity at its core oil refineries -- Vadinar in India and Stanlow in Britain -- pushed up margins.

The London-listed power, oil and gas arm of privately owned Indian conglomerate Essar Group, said earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation, on a current price basis, was $1.34 billion in the year ended March 31, compared with a company-provided analysts' estimate of $1.17 billion.

The company this year moved its year-end to March from December, making the previous comparative period a 15 month one.

Full-year refining margins rose 88 percent to $7.96 per barrel of oil at the company's core Essar Oil business, which owns a network of 1,600 franchised gas stations across India.

Essar Energy's assets also include a 50 percent stake in Kenya Petroleum Refinery Ltd, and 2,034 mmboe of reserves and resources at its exploration and production blocks.

Essar Energy's shares, which have shed about 6 percent of their value over the past year, were trading up about 2 percent at 123 pence at 0704 GMT on Monday on the London Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Richa Naidu in Bangalore; Editing by Supriya Kurane)