Engro Powergen drawing financial strength from onshore & offshore contracts: PACRA

September 2, 2020: PACRA has maintained the rating of Engro PowerGen Thar (Private) Limited at ‘A’ for the long-term and ‘B’ for the short-term, along with a ‘stable’ outlook.

According to PACRA’s press release, Engro Energy Limited (EEL) along with China Machinery & Engineering Corporation (CMEC) has set up the first Thar coal-based (2 x 330 MW) power plant (Complex) - Engro Powergen Thar (Pvt.) Limited (EPTL).

The project achieved financial close (FC) in Apr-16 and COD in July-19. RCOD was June-19 as per PPA and delay LDs may apply for which the company is in discussion with CPPA as this date is exceeded. These LDs will be paid through shareholders' ROE. The primary fuel is Thar Coal; however, the plant can accommodate imported coal.

A 30-year coal supply agreement is signed with Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC), which is constructing a coal mine in Thar Block-II. The coal mine’s COD was July-19. The company's both units were successfully connected to and are providing electricity to the grid. The company has successfully provided 903GWh of electricity to the grid from COD to end-Sep 19.

The financial strength and experience in the energy chain of the sponsoring companies – EEL and CMEC – are positive to the ratings. The onshore EPC contract is with CERIECO and the offshore EPC contract is with CMEC. Comfort is drawn from the experience of these contractors and the involvement of Pakistan and Chinese governments, as this project comes under CPEC.

Going forward, the Company’s main focus would be to keep the plant operational. Offtake agreement is with NTDC, which will, upon plant’s availability as per contract, provide capacity payments even if no purchase order is placed. The Government of Pakistan has given a payment guarantee against dues from NTDC.

The business risk of the company is mitigated as the company has successfully produced electricity on the specifications of Thar coal, which is being used for the first time. Furthermore, the use of CFB Boiler by the Company largely covers the risk of varying lignite quality

The management’s ability to effectively manage EPC risks and COD provides comfort. The trend in operational profitability would bode well for rating. The availability of Thar Coal is critical. External factors such as any adverse changes in the regulatory framework may impact the ratings.

PACRA