Reliance Infrastructure net up 14% at Rs 253 crore

Reliance Infrastructure owned by billionaire Anil Ambani said fiscal first quarter profit rose 14 per cent helped by higher operational efficiencies in power generation and higher orders for equipment.

Net profit of the company rose to Rs 253 crore in the three months ended June 30 compared with Rs 222 crore in  the corresponding period of previous year. Total income of the company grew 32 per cent to Rs 2,618  crore, against Rs1,984 crore in the corresponding quarter of previous year.

Aggregate  sales of electrical energy increased marginally by 2 per cent to 2,539 million units during the the period. However, aggregate revenues from energy sales during the quarter  increased by 37 per cent to Rs 1,764 crore (Rs 1,285 crore in the corresponding quarter of previous year).

 

"Our Dahanu power plant operated at over 100 per cent plant load factor(PLF) and this  resulted in getting better incentives from the regulator. Further, our EPC  business grew by over 320 per cent," said Lalit Jalan, chief executive of Reliance Infrastructure.

Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Authority (MERC) offers incentives mainly for better PLF, station heat rate, oil consumption and other operational efficiencies, said sources. The Company’s Dahanu Thermal Power Station achieved a PLF of 103.2 per cent, generating 1,126 million units. Dahanu's PLF was also higher at 104.5 percent achieved during the corresponding quarter of previous year.

The turnover of the EPC division of the company increased to Rs 434 crore for the quarter against Rs 339 crore in the corresponding previous period. The division had an order book position of about Rs 21,044 crore as on June 30, 2008, as against Rs 5,035 crore in the corresponding quarter of previous year. Profits from EPC and contracts were Rs47.40 crore for the period, compared to Rs17.24 crore in the corresponding previous year. Currently Reliance Infrastructure is working on 6 projects and implementing over 3,500 MW of power projects.

This will ensure an additional accounting of an average Rs5000 crore every year to the revenues of the company, at least for the next 4-5 years.

He said the company was expected to grow at least 20 per cent year on year. "Once Reliance Power's power plants take off, that will ensure us a minimum 45 per cent growth, which will catapult Reliance Infrastrcture", said Jalan. Reliance Infrastrcture will be the EPC contractor for most of the 28,000 MW of power to be added by Reliance Power. Infrastructure business, another area of focus for company, is also expected to give good returns in future. The company is constructing five road projects in Tamil Nadu, two  metro rail projects in Mumbai and Delhi and a business district in Hyderabad.

Other Income for the quarter under review was Rs 420 crore as against Rs 360 crore in the corresponding quarter of previous year. The Company's Earnings Before Interest, Depreciation and Tax (EBIDT) was Rs 396 crore (US$ 92 million) during the quarter, against Rs 398 crore in the corresponding quarter of previous year.