Buoyed by larger sales and enhanced margin, Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL) on Wednesday reported Rs 1,901 crore consolidated net profit for the January-March quarter of 2020-21 as against just Rs 82 crore in the corresponding quarter a year ago.
JSPL’s net profit for the complete year, on a consolidated basis, touched an all-time higher of Rs 5,527 crore. The corporation had been incurring annual losses for the preceding six years. In 2019-20 fiscal, the corporation reported a loss of Rs 574 crore.
JSPL stated it would be embarking on doubling the capacity at its steel-producing plant at Angul in Odisha to 12 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) with a capital expenditure of Rs 18,000 crore. But it would tread on the development program in a measured way.
In a statement, JSPL stated the enhanced efficiency across steel, energy and overseas mining operations in 4Q’FY21 resulted in JSPL reporting the highest-ever quarterly consolidated gross income of Rs 13,190 crore.
“Strong operational performance coupled with better pricing environment has led to consolidated Ebitda hitting a new record of Rs 5,287 crore. Higher Ebitda and declining interest costs have led to a net profit of Rs 1,901 crore,” it stated.
On a consolidated basis, the corporation reported gross income of Rs 42,745 core and Ebitda of Rs 14,444 crore for the complete year 2020-21.
Focusing on strengthening the balance sheet, the corporation has pared down its consolidated net debt by Rs 3,475 crore in 4Q’FY21 and by Rs 13,773 crore for the whole 2020-21 fiscal. As of March 2021, JSPL’s consolidated net debt stood at Rs 22,146 crore.
“The core focus right now is to sweat out assets and make JSPL net debt-free. Thereafter, the company will be embarking on a journey to expand its profitability and volumes via the Angul expansion from 6 MTPA to 12 MTPA taking JSPL’s overall steel capacity to around 16 MTPA in India,” it stated.