Rating Rationale
July 17, 2020 | Mumbai
ONGC Tripura Power Company Limited
'CRISIL A1+' assigned to CP
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated Rs.2752 Crore
Long Term Rating CRISIL AA/Stable (Reaffirmed)
Short Term Rating CRISIL A1+ (Reaffirmed)
 
Rs.300 Crore Commercial Paper CRISIL A1+ (Assigned)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has assigned its 'CRISIL A1+' rating to the commercial paper programme of ONGC Tripura Power Company Limited (OTPC) and reaffirmed its 'CRISIL AA/Stable/CRISIL A1+' ratings on the bank facilities.
 
The Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) group has 26% stake in OTPC; however, this is not expected to have any business or financial implications for the company. Further, OTPC remains classified as 'Green' by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs under its 'Red-Amber-Green' classifications, signifying its ability for timely debt servicing.
 
The ratings continue to factor in a strong business risk profile, driven by the take-or-pay nature of the power purchase agreements (PPAs); competitive advantage because of gas supply from the largest shareholder, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) on a firm-price basis; and operational and managerial support from largest shareholder, ONGC. These strengths are partially offset by exposure to risks related to a lower-than-normative, though improving, plant availability factor (PAF), impacting full recovery of the approved project costs, and exposure to weak counterparties.

Analytical Approach

CRISIL has used its parent notch-up framework to factor in the support available from ONGC. For arriving at the ratings, CRISIL has moderately consolidated the business and financial risk profiles of OTPC and its joint venture company, North East Transmission Co Ltd., as the debt is non-recourse and no further equity support is expected.

Please refer Annexure - List of entities consolidated, which captures the list of entities considered and their analytical treatment of consolidation.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths:
* Strong business risk profile: The company has signed PPAs with distribution companies (discoms) of north-eastern states for 628 megawatt (MW). The PPAs, valid for 25 years from the date of commencement of commercial operations, are based on the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission's (CERC's) classic two-part tariff structure, which ensures complete recovery of approved fixed costs, including debt servicing,  and a fixed return on equity of 15.5%, subject to the plant meeting a normative PAF of 85%.
 
In March 2017, CERC approved more than 90% of the total fixed cost of the project and temporarily lowered the normative PAF to 76% with retrospective effect (from March 24, 2015, till September 30, 2018). Subsequently, the normative PAF level has been fixed at 85%.
 
Power generated from the remaining 80 MW capacity is sold to discoms of Assam on the basis of a medium-term PPA, which has been renewed till March 31, 2021, at a fixed tariff of Rs 3.54 per unit.
 
* Competitive advantage: OTPC has signed a gas sale-and-purchase agreement with ONGC that meets a large part of the fuel requirement for the project for 15 years, with a provision for extension by two five-year terms. Not only does this insulate the plants from fuel risk, but the supply of gas at a firm price with escalation of 4% every year ensures a competitive tariff over the long term.
 
* Financial and managerial support from ONGC: OTPC is an initiative of ONGC for monetisation of its unutilised gas reserves in Tripura. Besides being the gas supplier to the project, ONGC is the largest shareholder (50% stake) in the company. OTPC's board of directors consists of four (out of ten) representatives of ONGC, including the chairman. ONGC's significant control of the company and the latter's strategic importance to it underscore ONGC's economic rationale and moral obligation to support OTPC.
 
Weaknesses:
* Lower than-normative, though improving, PAF, resulting in under-recovery of project costs: The plant requires about 2.9 million metric standard cubic metre per day (mmscmd) of gas to run at a normative PAF of 85%. Gas supplies had improved during fiscal 2019, resulting in a healthy PAF. However, during fiscal 2020, the PAF has come down to 63% because of technical issues, impacting the machine availability. While one unit was in periodic shutdown during August-September 2019, the rotor blade of the other was damaged in October 2019. Due to logistical reasons, the repairs took six months after which the second unit recommended operations in March 2020. Consequently, the 12-month PAF for fiscal 2020 was lower at 63%, leading to under recovery in capacity charges by around Rs 160-170 crore. While the cost of repair of the rotor was Rs 15-20 crore, the company has filed for an insurance claim of Rs 145 crore, which includes the loss of revenue. As a large part of the debt due in fiscal 2020 had been prepaid in the previous fiscal, the company has been able to comfortably service debt obligation despite lower cash flows.  
 
The average PAF was 83% in the first three months of fiscal 2021, with average gas supply of 2.7 mmscmd, an improvement on around 63% in fiscal 2020 with average 2.02 mmscmd of gas supply. The average debt service coverage ratio is expected to be above 1.3 times.
 
Any significant change in gas supplies or technical issues impacting availability will remain a key rating sensitivity factor.
 
* Exposure to weak counterparties: The discoms to which power is sold have weak credit risk profiles, exposing the company to risk of delay in payments. However OTPC is one of the lowest-cost power producers in the region, making it rank high in the merit-order dispatch of these discoms, thus ensuring timely payment. Receivables reduced to 49 days as on March 31, 2020, from about 90 days as on March 31, 2017. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the national lockdown, realisations of discoms have been impacted, leading to delays in payments. Consequently, the company has started availing working capital lines to take care of the interim cash flow mismatch. Though realisations have improved over the past few weeks, major relief is expected through drawing of funds by discoms under the liquidity support mechanism of Rs 90,000 crore through Power Finance Corporation/REC announced by the government.
 
The risk is further mitigated by the presence of a revolving letter of credit mechanism and the option to sell power through open access in case of default in payment by discoms. Nonetheless, timely receipt of dues will remain a key monitorable.
Liquidity Strong

The cash and bank balance was around Rs 120 crore as on March 31, 2020, while the fund-based bank limit of Rs 200 crore remained unutilised until then. With realisations from discoms being stretched in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 due to the national lockdown, working capital utilisation has increased to Rs 125 crore as on June 30, 2020. However, with gradual improvement in realisations, liquidity is expected to ease. Also, insurance proceeds of over Rs 125 crore are also expected to be received within the current fiscal, supporting liquidity. Further, being part of ONGC gives the company easy access to low-cost financing from banks.

Outlook: Stable

Sustainable gas supplies, amid healthy plant and machine availability and continued timely payment by counterparties, should help to maintain the credit risk profile over the medium term.

Rating Sensitivity Factors
Upward Factors
* Improvement in cash flows due to significant and sustained increase in gas supplies in the absence of machine availability issues
* Consistently healthy PAF of over 85%, along with a low receivables cycle

Downward Factors
* Lower-than-expected gas supplies or PAF, adversely impacting cash flows
* Any diminution of shareholding of ONGC or change in its support stance.

About the Company

OTPC, a joint venture of ONGC, IL&FS Energy Development Company Ltd (IEDCL) and the Government of Tripura, has implemented a 726.6 MW (2x363.3 MW) combined cycle gas turbine power project in Palatana, Tripura. ONGC holds 50% of the equity shares, with IEDCL owning 26%, and the Government of Tripura 0.5%. The promoters have arranged for the balance equity funding through India Infrastructure Fund-II, which currently holds 23.5% share.
 
The project cost of Rs 3,420 crore was revised to Rs 4,047 crore due to delay in implementation. The project has been funded in a debt-equity mix of 75:25. The first unit began commercial operations on January 4, 2014, and the second on March 24, 2015. OTPC is supplying 87% of the power produced as per the PPAs with north-eastern state governments and the rest through a medium-term PPA with the discoms of Assam.
 
Power from the project site switchyard is evacuated through a 661-kilometre, 400-kilovolt (kV) double circuit transmission line established from Palatana (generation switchyard) to the 400-kV DC Bongaigaon substation of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL; rated 'CRISIL AAA/Stable/CRISIL A1+'). The transmission line has been implemented by North-East Transmission Company Ltd (NETCL) at a cost of Rs 2,057 crore (funded in a debt-equity mix of 80:20). NETCL is a joint venture of OTPC (shareholding of 26%), PGCIL (26%), and north-eastern state governments (48%).

About ONGC
ONGC is India's largest exploration and production company; it explores, develops, and produces crude oil and natural gas in India and abroad. The company functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas; the government owns 60.41% of the equity capital as on March 31, 2020.

For fiscal 2019, ONGC, on a standalone basis, had a PAT of Rs 13,445 crore on operating income of Rs 96,214 crore, against Rs 26,716 crore and Rs 109,655 crore, respectively, for the previous fiscal.

Key Financial Indicators
Particulars Unit 2020 2019
Revenue Rs.Crore 1263 1438
Profit After Tax (PAT) Rs.Crore 71 204
PAT Margin % 5.6 14.2
Adjusted debt/adjusted networth Times 1.48 1.50
Interest coverage Times 2.79 3.76

Any other information: Not applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments and are included (where applicable) in the Annexure -- Details of Instrument in this Rating Rationale. For more details on the CRISIL complexity levels, please visit www.crisil.com/complexity-levels.
Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)
ISIN Name of
instrument
Date of allotment Coupon
rate (%)
Maturity
date
Issue size
(Rs.Crore)
Complexity Level Rating assigned
with outlook
NA Cash Credit NA NA NA 200 NA CRISIL AA/Stable
NA Letter of credit & Bank Guarantee NA NA NA 100 NA CRISIL A1+
NA Proposed Cash Credit Limit NA NA NA 280 NA CRISIL AA/Stable
NA Proposed Term Loan NA NA NA 300 NA CRISIL AA/Stable
NA Rupee Term Loan NA 8.45% 31-Dec-2028 1853 NA CRISIL AA/Stable
NA Proposed Letter of Credit & Bank Guarantee NA NA NA 19 NA CRISIL A1+
NA Commercial Paper NA NA 7 to 365 Days 300 Simple CRISIL A1+
 
Annexure - List of Entities Consolidated
Names of entities consolidated Extent of consolidation Rationale for consolidation
North East Transmission Co Ltd Equity method Proportionate consolidation
Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2020 (History) 2019  2018  2017  Start of 2017
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Commercial Paper  ST  300.00  CRISIL A1+    --    --    --    --  -- 
Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  2633.00  CRISIL AA/Stable      10-06-19  CRISIL AA/Stable  27-07-18  CRISIL AA-/Positive  21-04-17  CRISIL AA-/Positive  CRISIL A+/Positive 
                    21-02-17  CRISIL A+/Positive   
Non Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  119.00  CRISIL A1+      10-06-19  CRISIL A1+  27-07-18  CRISIL A1+  21-04-17  CRISIL A1+  -- 
                    21-02-17  CRISIL A1   
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Annexure - Details of various bank facilities
Current facilities Previous facilities
Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Rating Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Rating
Cash Credit 200 CRISIL AA/Stable Cash Credit 200 CRISIL AA/Stable
Letter of credit & Bank Guarantee 100 CRISIL A1+ Cash Credit 100 Withdrawn
Proposed Cash Credit Limit 280 CRISIL AA/Stable Letter of credit & Bank Guarantee 100 CRISIL A1+
Proposed Letter of Credit & Bank Guarantee 19 CRISIL A1+ Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 300 CRISIL AA/Stable
Proposed Term Loan 300 CRISIL AA/Stable Proposed Non Fund based limits 50 CRISIL A1+
Rupee Term Loan 1853 CRISIL AA/Stable Rupee Term Loan 2102 CRISIL AA/Stable
-- 0 -- Rupee Term Loan 240 Withdrawn
Total 2752 -- Total 3092 --
Links to related criteria
CRISILs Approach to Financial Ratios
CRISILs Bank Loan Ratings - process, scale and default recognition
Rating Criteria for Power Generation Utilities
Rating criteria for manufaturing and service sector companies
CRISILs Criteria for Consolidation
Criteria for Notching up Stand Alone Ratings of Companies based on Parent Support

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