REC

Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) is a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) operating under the Ministry of Power. It’s primarily engaged in funding and arranging finances for electrification projects across the country. It is registered with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as a non-banking finance company (NBFC), public financial institution (PFI) and infrastructure financing company (IFC).

REC was incorporated in 1969 and was listed on the National Stock Exchange and the BSE on March 12, 2008. The market capitalisation of REC Limited stood at over ₹1 lakh crore as of December 20, 2023. REC Limited share price has gained over 291% in the last three years.

Business operations

REC provides financial support to state electricity boards, state government departments and rural electric cooperatives for electrification projects. The corporation offers loan assistance to SEBs/State Power Utilities to facilitate investments in schemes dedicated to rural electrification.

REC is a major player in the government's primary power sector schemes. It has served as the nodal agency for programmes like Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGAYA), Deen Dayal Upadhaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and National Electricity Fund (NEF) Scheme. These schemes and REC's contributions significantly improved the last-mile distribution system, achieved 100% village electrification and ensured household electrification across the country. REC Ltd has also been entrusted as the nodal agency for specific states under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).

REC Ltd has expanded into the non-power infrastructure domain, including roads and expressways, metro rail, airports, IT communication, social and commercial infrastructure (such as educational institutions and hospitals), ports and electro-mechanical (E&M) works. This expansion caters to various sectors including steel and refinery.

The Ministry of Power has granted REC permission to extend loans to the non-power infrastructure and logistics sector. Within the first year alone, REC approved more than ₹85,700 crore for various projects. These initiatives include metro systems, ports, airports, oil refineries, highways, steel infrastructure, healthcare, educational institutions, as well as sectors like IT infrastructure and fibre optics.

REC operates across the country with 22 state offices to ensure efficient service delivery nationwide. REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited (RECPDCL), a wholly owned subsidiary of REC, offers a variety of enhanced consultancy services within the power sector. RECPDCL is also involved in delivering efficient and cost-effective services across various segments of the power sector, including project implementation and consultancy services.

REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited (RECPDCL) is also working on NFMS (National Feeder Monitoring Scheme) to monitor the reliability and quality of power at a national level, aimed at an uninterrupted 24x7 power supply for all. The subsidiary is also developing unified billing and other software to be used by government discoms/power departments across the country.

REC Ltd also has a training institute called REC Institute of Power Management & Training (RECIPMT) in Hyderabad. RECIPMT conducts various training programmes covering diverse areas such as electricity generation, transmission, distribution systems and non-conventional/renewable energy systems.

Financial Highlights

The company’s revenue from operations for FY 2022-23 stood at ₹39,478.26 crore, up 0.5% from ₹39,269.05 crore in FY 2021-22. The company's profit after tax increased by 11.2% to ₹11,166.98 crore in FY23 from ₹10,035.70 crore in FY22. In FY23, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) stood at ₹14,745.39 crore, down 9.7% from ₹16,337.18 crore in FY22. The company's earnings per share (EPS) stood at ₹41.85 in FY23 compared to ₹38.02 in the previous financial year.