NTPC Q1 results: PAT rises 9.4% YoY to Rs 4,066 crore, sales drop 2.3%

Total expenses for the quarter was Rs 33,528.14 crore, compared to Rs 35,598.4 crore a year ago.

Operating profit, calculated as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), grew by nearly 17% on year to Rs 11,369.40 crore. Operating margin expanded a sharp 471 basis points to 29.06%.

Fuel cost, which forms a lion’s share of the total expenses, declined 11% on year during the quarter to Rs 22,850.27 crore.

The total installed capacity at the Group level was 73,024 MW, up by 3,910 MW from the year-ago period. At the standalone level, NTPC’s total installed capacity was 57,038 MW.

Gross generation for the quarter was 88.55 billion units, compared to 90.49 billion units a year ago. Commercial generation was 88.3 billion units, compared to 90.40 billion units a year ago. NTPC produced 6.24 million tonne coal in the quarter, compared to 4.10 million tonne a year ago.

The plant load factor (PLF) at coal units across India improved to 70.38% from 69.23% a year ago. A plant load factor is a measure of the average capacity utilisation of a thermal power unit. In industry parlance, load factor is a measure of the output of a power plant compared to the maximum output the plan can produce.The PLF at solar units was 24.54% in the quarter, compared to 23.52% a year ago. The PLF at hydro units was 39.60% in the quarter, compared to 41.61% a year ago.

The average tariff during the quarter was Rs 4.53 per unit, compared to Rs 4.57 a year ago. On Friday, shares of NTPC ended nearly 4% higher from the previous close on the National Stock Exchange at Rs 210.