HEG Ltd Faces Steep Profit Decline but Remains Optimistic with Green Energy Expansion Plans

HEG Ltd reported a steep 83.4% YoY decline in net profit for the June quarter, plummeting to ₹23 Cr. from ₹139 Cr. in the same period last year. On a quarterly growth basis, company generated -30.13% fall in its net profit margins since last 3-months. The company’s total income also decreased by 15%, coming in at ₹591.90 Cr. compared to ₹697.55 Cr. a year ago.

The company’s EBITDA also saw a significant decline, falling by 74% YoY to ₹38 Cr. This drop was reflected in the EBITDA margin, which decreased to 6.7% from 21% during the same quarter last year. The decline in margins was primarily due to a 37% increase in other expenses. However, the company did report a sequential expansion of 500 basis points in its gross margin. Company’s revenue also fell -15.1% since last year same period to ₹591.1Cr in the Q1 2024-2025.

Optimistic outlook due to decarbonization effect

Leaving China, 100 million tons of new Electric Arc Furnace(EAF) capacities have been announced all over the world due to decarbonization effect. So, according the management, that is likely to give a boost to electrode demand to the extent of 100,000 to 125,000 tons in the next three years or so. Following the same, management seconds their expansion plan and expenditure of 1,200 Cr for the same, backing with the remark of being the lowest cost producer. Company has been exporting 65-70% of the production for the last 35 years, to the countries producing steel through EAF.

Reduced demand due to Chinese exports

Steel production outside of China faces constraints due to subdued demand and geopolitical issues, as overcapacity and weak domestic demand in China prompts it to flood the global market with ultra-cheap steel. Chinese steel exports increased by 24% from Jan to Jun’2024 in comparison to the same period in 2023, reaching 53.4 mmt. China's transition to (EAF) steel production stagnates, leading to an oversupply of Chinese electrodes and price decline.

Electrode pricing continues to remain under pressure

Due to constant sluggish demand, the pricing of Graphite Electrodes (GE) will remain under pressure. The prices of needle coke, which is the primary material for electrode kept correcting through the past year due to difficult market conditions, and the spread between electrode prices and needle coke prices did narrow down, but still have a lag effect.

Expansion into green energy

The company has announced more than 100 million tons of greenfield capacities to be operational by 2030, out of which 64 million will is likely to be in operation by 2027, with a primary focus on improved carbon materials that support green energy in addition to graphite anodes. There are two projects namely Malana and Allain Dohagan (AD), which are the locations of these plants. In total, it will amount up to 300MWs of hydro power plant, 100MWs from Malana and 200MWs from Allain Dohagan.

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