CESC

The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) is a Kolkata-based electricity generation company. Owned by the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, CESC is a public limited company that serves areas in West Bengal, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

The market capitalisation of CESC Limited is ₹16,357 crore as of December 26, 2023. CESC share price has gained more than 100% in three years.

Business operations

Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation Limited operates as a unified power utility, providing electricity across 567 square kilometres in its licenced area including Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas in West Bengal. This service reaches 3.5 million customers, offering safe and affordable electricity. The company, along with its subsidiaries, manages various independent power generation projects and distribution initiatives in other regions of the country.

CESC manages every stage of the value chain in the power sector starting from coal mining to power generation and distribution.

The company owns and operates two thermal power plants generating a total of 885 MW of power. These include the Budge Budge station (750 MW) and the Southern station (135 MW). It has also commissioned the Haldia thermal plant, a 600 MW project. All the power generated from Haldia caters to CESC's total power needs and is transmitted to the city via a dedicated 400KV network.

Between its two embedded generating stations, along with power from Haldia and Asansol, the company fulfils approximately 85-90% of our customers' electricity requirements. The remaining 15-10% is acquired by purchasing electricity from other sources. Around 30% of the necessary coal for electricity generation in Budge Budge comes from captive mines.

CESC also ventured into renewable energy with Solar Power Plants in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, boasting a combined capacity of 27 MW.

Kolkata operations

Supplying electricity within Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas in West Bengal, CESC Limited manages its distribution, including power generation facilities. Apart from the 600 MW Haldia plant operated by its subsidiary, Haldia Energy Limited (HEL), all other operations fall directly under CESC Limited.

CESC's subsidiaries manage both thermal and renewable energy projects, excluding HEL. As of the end of 2022-23, these projects collectively boast a generation capacity of over 650 MW.

Distribution ventures

CESC holds a distribution licence for Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh and operates three distribution franchises (in Kota, Bharatpur and Bikaner in Rajasthan, along with the one in Malegaon, Maharashtra. These ventures are overseen by subsidiaries of CESC.

Financial highlights

• CESC Limited's revenue from operations for the financial year 2023 stood at ₹14,246 crore, up 13.5% from ₹12,544 crore in the financial year 2021.

• The company recorded a profit (profit before tax) of ₹1,739 crore in FY23 against ₹1,916 crore in FY22.

• In FY23, the profit after tax (PAT) stood at ₹1,397 core as against ₹1,405 crore in the preceding financial year.

• The s earnings per share (EPS) stood at ₹10.13 in FY23 compared to ₹10.25 in the previous financial year.