NTPC Q3 net up by 16% at Rs. 3,876 cr

New Delhi: NTPC on Thursday posted a nearly 16 per cent rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 3,876.36 crore for the December quarter, mainly due to higher revenues.

Its consolidated net profit was at Rs 3,351.28 crore in the quarter ended on December 31, 2019, according to a BSE filing. Total income rose to Rs 28,387.27 crore in the latest December quarter from Rs 27,120.35 crore in the year-ago period. At its meeting on Thursday, the company's board also decided to pay an interim dividend at the rate of 30 per cent (Rs 3 per share) on the face value of paid-up equity shares of Rs 10 each for the financial year 2020-21. Gross power generation of NTPC Group in the December quarter of this fiscal was at 65.41 billion units as against 61.21 BUs in the year-ago period.

The average power tariff of the firm was Rs 3.87 per unit in the first nine months of this financial year. The company's Plant Load Factor (PLF) or capacity utilisation of coal-based projects was 64.31 per cent in the quarter under review as compared to 63.48 per cent in the same period a year ago. Its domestic coal supply rose to 45.55 million tonnes in the latest December quarter from 44.45 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

The company's coal imports dipped to 0.25 million tonnes in the third quarter of this fiscal compared to 0.64 million tonnes in the same period a year ago. During the same period, gas consumption decreased to 1.46 million metric standard cubic meter per day from 2.44 MMSCMD. Its gas-based projects' PLF also fell to 6.76 per cent in the December quarter from 10.35 per cent in the year-ago period. NTPC Group's total installed capacity increased to 62,975 MW as on December 31, 2020.