BHEL Secures ₹6,650 Crore Order from NTPC for Odisha Power Project; Q2 Earnings Surge

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) announced on Friday, November 7, that it has secured a major order worth ₹6,650 crore from NTPC Limited. This order encompasses the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) package for the 1x800 MW Darlipali Supercritical Thermal Power Project Stage II, located in the Sundargarh district of Odisha. The scope of the EPC works includes the design, engineering, supply of equipment, commissioning, and civil works for the power plant. The contract mandates completion within 48 months.

In addition to this significant order, BHEL recently reported its second-quarter earnings, which significantly surpassed market expectations. The company posted a net profit of ₹368 crore, a substantial jump from ₹96.7 crore in the same quarter last year and well above the Street's estimate of ₹211.2 crore. Revenue rose by 14.1% to ₹7,511 crore. Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortisation (EBITDA) more than doubled to ₹580.8 crore from ₹275 crore in the previous fiscal's September quarter, exceeding estimates of ₹223 crore. The operating margin also expanded to 7.7% from 4.2% year-on-year, beating the Street's expectation of 2.8%.

Impact: This substantial order win provides BHEL with significant revenue visibility for the coming years and bolsters its order book. The strong financial performance, characterized by a surge in profit, improved EBITDA, and expanding margins, indicates a positive operational turnaround and increased efficiency. These factors are likely to be viewed favorably by investors, potentially leading to a positive market reaction for BHEL's stock.

Rating: 7/10

Difficult Terms:

Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC): A contract where a company provides comprehensive services from the design (engineering) to the purchase of materials (procurement) and the actual building (construction) of a project.

Supercritical Thermal Power Project: A thermal power plant that operates at pressures and temperatures higher than the critical point of water, leading to greater efficiency and reduced fuel consumption compared to subcritical plants.

EBITDA: Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortisation. It is a measure of a company's operating performance, excluding the impact of financing decisions, accounting decisions, and tax environments.

Operating Margin: A profitability ratio that measures how much profit a company makes from its core business operations for every dollar of sales. It is calculated as Operating Income divided by Revenue.