Gas sales growth eyed by Beijing Enterprises
Distribution arm Beijing Enterprises enjoys 29.3 per cent earnings increase despite mild winter and targets growing urbanisation
Beijing Enterprises Holdings, the Hong Kong-listed natural gas distribution arm of the Beijing municipal government, said it is targeting faster gas sales growth this year, after posting a better-than-expected 29.3 per cent profit growth for last year.
Net profit was HK$4.18 bil- lion last year, from HK$3.23 billion in 2012 and higher than the HK$3.74 billion average estimate of 21 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. Revenue grew 19.1 per cent to HK$42.36 billion.
Some 80 per cent of the profit, or HK$3.52 billion, came from piped-gas distribution.
Urbanisation and curbs on air pollution [mean] gas sales will continue to grow
Of the amount, HK$1.32 billion was from gas sales within the capital city, and HK$2.22 billion from a 40 per cent-owned joint venture with PetroChina - the nation's largest oil and gas producer - that operates a pipeline transporting gas from fields in northern China to Beijing.
Net profit from gas sales in Beijing was 24.9 per cent higher than in 2012, thanks partly to a 9.8 per cent growth in sales volume to 8.72 billion cubic metres (bcm).
Chief executive Zhou Si, head of the firm's gas business, said last year's sales volume growth was below expectation because Beijing's last winter was one of the warmest on record in past decades.
"But with ongoing urbanisation and curbs on air pollution, gas sales will continue to grow," he said, adding this year's sales are targeted to grow 14.7 per cent to 10 bcm.