NTPC Q4 Earnings Jumps, Net Profit Rises 33% YoY to Rs 6,490 Crore: Declares Final Dividend at Rs 3.25 per Share:

State-owned power giant NTPC reported a 33% increase in its consolidated net profit, reaching Rs 6,490.05 crore in the March 2024 quarter, driven by higher revenues. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 4,871.55 crore in the same quarter last year, according to a BSE filing. Total income for the quarter rose to Rs 48,816.55 crore from Rs 44,744.96 crore a year ago.

For the full fiscal year 2023-24, consolidated net profit increased to Rs 21,332.45 crore from Rs 17,121.35 crore in the previous year. Total income for FY24 rose to Rs 1,81,165.86 crore from Rs 1,77,976.39 crore the year before.

Dividend Announcement and New Initiatives

NTPC’s board recommended a final dividend of Rs 3.25 per equity share for FY24. This is in addition to the interim dividends of Rs 2.25 per share each, paid in November and February. The board also approved the creation of a wholly-owned subsidiary to undertake nuclear energy business, pending approval from the Ministry of Power, DIPAM, Niti Aayog, and other statutory authorities. NTPC’s average tariff was Rs 4.61 per unit during FY24, down from Rs 4.89 per unit the previous year.

Operational Highlights

NTPC’s gross electricity generation increased to 93.387 billion units (BU) in Q4 from 89.66 BU in the same quarter last year. For FY24, electricity generation rose to 361.70 BU from 344.27 BU. Coal output also increased, reaching 7.87 million metric tons (MMT) in Q4 from 6.48 MMT a year ago, and 27.7 MMT for the fiscal year, up from 20.23 MMT.

The plant load factor (PLF) or capacity utilization of coal-based thermal power plants dipped to 79.77% in Q4 from 80.32% a year ago but rose to 77.25% for the fiscal year from 75.90% in FY23. Domestic coal supply improved to 61.6 MMT in Q4 from 54.85 MMT a year ago and rose to 231.64 MMT for FY24 from 209.29 MMT in FY23.

Gas consumption increased to 0.95 million metric standard cubic meters per day (MMSCMD) in Q4 from 0.41 MMSCMD a year ago and rose to 2.74 MMSCMD for FY24 from 1.13 MMSCMD in the previous year. Imported coal supply stood at 3.70 MMT in Q4, up from 2.97 MMT a year ago, but fell to 9.57 MMT for FY24 from 14.56 MMT in FY23.

As of March 31, 2024, NTPC Group’s installed power generation capacity was 75,958 megawatts (MW).