OPG Power Ventures raises £60m

India-focused power generator OPG Power Ventures has raised £60 million to finance additional generating capacity in India. The Alternative Investment Market-quoted business raised the money at 93p a share; OPG joined AIM at 60p a share in May 2008.


OPG has 107MW of generating capacity in operation and will have enough cash to build a further 555MW of capacity. There was still £17 million of unrestricted cash on the balance sheet at the end of September 2010.

The company, whose target is to have 1,250MW operational by 2015, has already begun work on 383MW of new capacity. It has also bought 120 acres of land in Karnataka with potential for the construction of a 250-300MW power station. There is already a partially constructed 12MW thermal power plant on the land.

OPG has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Gujarat government for the development of 5,400MW of generation capacity, including 1,400MW of gas-based capacity.

Demand for power in India is growing fast. Industrial production rose by an annualised figure of 9% according to the latest data. However, new generating capacity is coming on stream more slowly than the Indian government had hoped, and this has created power deficits.

During the six months to September 2010, the existing capacity has realised prices of around 4.80 rupees per KWh. Group revenue grew by 56% to £8.95 million and the profit improved from £3.52 million to £4.06 million.

 Market: AIM
 Symbol: OPG
 Price: 98p
 12-month high/low: 110p/58.25p
 Market cap: £344m

 

Login

AIM Comment

AIM - a tough market for cleantech compnies - by Andrew Hore

Although a few new entrants have joined AIM this year, cleantech companies are still leaving the junior market. Stock markets around the world are becoming tougher places to raise money again, but the problems with the latest company to shun its AIM quotation date back to its flotation and lack of financial progress since, rather than current market conditions.

Read more


SUBSCRIBE

Quoted Cleantech costs £85 for annual subscription.

DOWNLOAD TRIAL ISSUE

Register Now! - to receive regular email alerts.

Subscribe Now! to receive the newsletter for one year AND gain online access to all the back issues.

Already a subscriber (and logged in)? Download the latest issue - and back issues - now

Editor´s Message

by Anne McIvor

The Solyndra collapse in the US has damaged investor sentiment throughout the solar industry. In an unrelated move, the UK Government has backtracked on its policy to provide feed-in-tariffs (FiTs) for the solar sector. The UK Government’s argument is that the prices of solar modules have fallen substantially since the policy was first put in place, and that the FiT subsidy now permits solar installers to make an unjustifiable return on their investments.

Read more

 

 

Cleantech Utility Comment

UK Energy Policy – Prescribed by Germany and France? - by Nigel Hawkins

The last few weeks have been busy times in the EU and UK energy sectors – and the next few months are unlikely to be any different. 

Read more