State-owned power major NTPC Limited reported a 14% rise in its consolidated net profit, reaching Rs 5,380.25 crore for the July-September quarter, up from Rs 4,726.40 crore in the same period last year, according to a BSE filing on Thursday.
Despite the profit surge, total income dipped slightly to Rs 45,197.77 crore from Rs 45,384.64 crore a year ago. The average tariff for NTPC during April-September was Rs 4.67 per unit, a small increase from Rs 4.61 per unit last year.
The NTPC Board approved a first interim dividend of Rs 2.50 per share on a face value of Rs 10 each for FY2024-25, with distribution set for November 18, 2024.
In terms of operational metrics, gross electricity generation fell to 88.46 billion units (BU) from 90.30 BU in the previous year’s quarter. Coal production from NTPC’s captive mines surged to 9.03 MMT from 5.59 MMT, with output for the half-year rising to 18.67 MMT from 11.83 MMT. However, plant load factor (PLF) for coal-based plants decreased to 72.28% from 75.83%.
Domestic coal supply rose to 54.75 MMT, while imported coal dropped to 1.13 MMT from 1.25 MMT. Gas consumption was significantly lower at 2.05 MMSCMD compared to 4.53 MMSCMD in the previous year.
NTPC Group’s installed capacity increased to 76,443 MW as of September 30, up from 73,824 MW a year ago. Standalone capacity also rose to 59,168 MW from 57,838 MW.
In a strategic initiative, NTPC announced a partnership with the Indian Army to create a solar hydrogen-based microgrid at Chushul in Ladakh, aiming to provide reliable power through green hydrogen in remote, off-grid military locations.