Interim Results

BEIJING DATANG POWER 19 August 1999 BEIJING DATANG POWER GENERATION COMPANY LIMITED (a joint stock limited company incorporated in the People's Republic of China with limited liability) ANNOUNCEMENT OF 1999 INTERIM RESULTS FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS * The net operating revenue for the six months ended 30th June, 1999 was approximately RMB2,582,123,000, representing an increase of 1.15%. * Profit after taxation was approximately RMB645,765,000, representing an increase of 8.28%. * Earnings per share were RMB0.125 (1998 same period: RMB0.116). * During the Period, the Company had sufficient cash reserve and did not have foreign currency debts. 1. INTERIM RESULTS The Board of Directors of Beijing Datang Power Generation Company Limited (the 'Company') is pleased to announce the unaudited interim results of the Company and its subsidiary for the six months ended 30th June, 1999 (the 'Period'), prepared in conformity with International Accounting Standards. Consolidated Profit and Loss Account (Condensed) (Unaudited) Six months ended 30th June, Note 1999 1998 Company and its subsidiary Company RMB'000 RMB'000 Operating revenue, net 42,582,123 2,552,729 Profit before taxation 964,828 882,614 Taxation 5(319,063) (286,217) Profit after taxation 645,765 596,397 Earnings per share (RMB) 6 0.125 0.116 Consolidated Balance Sheet (Condensed) (Unaudited) Note30th June, 31st December, 1999 1998 Company and its subsidiary Company RMB'000 RMB'000 Property, plant and equipment, net 10,570,759 10,444,022 Long-term investment in NCPG Finance Company Limited 46,020 46,020 Current assets 4,187,901 4,027,324 Current liabilities (1,432,968) (1,414,328) Net current assets 2,754,933 2,612,996 Long-term bank loans (net of current portion) (1,819,000) (2,053,100) Long-term loans from shareholders (net of current portion) (142,758) (310,749) Minority interest (150,000) (125,000) Net assets 11,259,954 10,614,189 Representing: Share capital 5,162,849 5,162,849 Reserves 86,097,105 5,451,340 Shareholders' equity 11,259,954 10,614,189 Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows (Condensed) (Unaudited) Six months ended 30th June, Note 1999 1998 Company and its subsidiary Company RMB'000 RMB'000 Net cash from operating activities 1,113,700 922,103 Net cash used in investing activities (296,796) (728,088) Net cash used in financing activities (403,691) (133,964) Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 413,213 60,051 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of Period 669,696 1,083,227 Cash and cash equivalents, end of Period 1,082,909 1,143,278 Notes: 1. The Company was incorporated in Beijing, the People's Republic of China (the 'PRC'), on 13th December, 1994 as a joint stock limited company. Subsequent to the listing of its H shares on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and the London Stock Exchange Limited on 21st March, 1997, the Company was registered as a sino-foreign joint venture on 13th May, 1998. The Company currently owns and operates four power plants in Hebei Province and Beijing City of the PRC. The Company's 75%-owned subsidiary is Tianjin Datang Punshan Power Generation Company Limited ('Punshan Power Plant'). 2. Unit 5 of Zhang Jia Kou Power Plant Phase II commenced commercial operation on 5th March, 1999. 3. The principal accounting policies adopted for the 1999 figures are consistent with those adopted for the preparation of the 1998 financial statements. 4. Operating revenue represents amount of tariffs billed, net of discounts, for electricity generated and transmitted to NCPGC. Tariff revenues are recognised upon billing and transmission of electricity to the power grid controlled and owned by NCPGC. The sales discount was determined based on the excess generation of the Period. 5. The PRC income tax for the six months ended 30th June, 1999 was calculated at the rate of 33% on the estimated assessable profits of the Period determined in accordance with relevant income tax rules and regulations. 6. The calculation of earnings per share for the six months ended 30th June, 1999 was based on the profit after taxation of approximately RMB645,765,000 and on the weighted average number of 5,162,849,000 shares which is calculated on the basis of 3,732,180,000 Domestic Shares and 1,430,669,000 H Shares. 7. No profit appropriation has been made for the six months ended 30th June, 1999. Such appropriation will be made at year end in accordance with the prevailing regulations. 8. Reserves Movements of the reserves during the Period were: Six months ended 30th June, 1999 1998 Company and its subsidiary Company Capital Statutory Statutory Discretionary Retained Total Total reserve surplus public surplus earnings reserve welfare reserve fund RMB'000 RMB'000 RMB'000 RMB'000 RMB'000 RMB'000 RMB'000 Beginning 3,652,706 259,364 259,364 1,279,906 --- 5,451,340 4,482,447 of Period Profit --- --- --- ---- 645,765 645,765 596,397 after taxation End of 3,652,706 259,364 259,364 1,279,906 645,765 6,097,105 5,078,844 Period II. Directors' Report 1. Business Review for the Period During the Period, China's economy continued to grow and the value of RMB remained stable. The GDP growth rate in Beijing, Tianjin and Tangshan, the major areas served by the Company and its subsidiary, continued to be above the national average of 7.6%, which provided a solid foundation for business development of the Company and its subsidiary. Although the Asian financial crisis has severely affected the economic development in the region, the Company's operations and results were not significantly affected owing to its sufficient cash reserve and the absence of any foreign currency debts. (1) Steady Production and Increase in Output During the Period, the Company's installed capacity was 3,750 MW. The total electricity generated was 10,133,079 MWh, representing a 1.64% increase as compared to the same period of last year. On-grid electricity output was 9,456,717 MWh, representing a 2.51% increase as compared to the same period of last year. The equivalent availability factor of its generating units was 92.28%, representing an increase of 3.61 percentage points as compared to the same period of last year. Unplanned stoppage was 11 times, representing a decrease of 7 times as compared to the same period of last year. Average utilization hours for all generating units were 2,730 hours; of which the average utilization hours of Zhang Jia Kou Power Plant Unit 5 (300 MW), which commenced commercial operation during the Period, were 1,495 hours and the average utilization hours of the remaining units (3,450 MW) were 2,800 hours. (2) Cost Control and Profit Growth The net operating revenue of the Company and its subsidiary for the Period was approximately RMB2,582,123,000, representing an increase of 1.15% as compared to the same period of last year. Profit after taxation was approximately RMB645,765,000, and earnings per share were RMB0.125, both representing an increase of 8.28% as compared to the same period of last year. The main reasons for the growth in the Company's profit were: (1), reduction in fuel consumption, coal consumption for electricity generated in January-June period was 367 g/KWh, representing a decrease of 5 g/KWh as compared to the same period of last year. (2), reduction in coal purchase costs so that the unit price of standard coal reduced by RMB10/tonne. (3), more effective utilization of funds resulting in an increase in interest income and a decrease in interest expense; and (4), strengthening budgetary control of fixed costs to keep the fixed cost items within budget. (3) Smooth Progress of Infrastructure Projects Construction works in relation to Zhang Jia Kou Power Plant Phase II Units 5--8 (300 MW x 4) and Punshan Power Plant Phase II (600 MW x 2) are expected to be completed by 2002. During the Period, approximately RMB290,041,000 was invested in the construction of Zhang Jia Kou Power Plant Phase II. Unit 5 was integrated with the power grid on 19th November, 1998 and was put into commercial operation on 5th March, 1999. The hydraulic tests for Unit 6 were completed during the Period and it is expected that Unit 6 will be put into commercial operation by the end of this year. Punshan Power Plant Phase II is under construction, with RMB60,000,000 invested during the Period. The feasibility study report of Tuoketuo Power Plant A Phase I is awaiting the approval from the State Development Planning Commission. (4) Implementation of Key Technological Improvement Projects The Company aims at conserving energy, reducing consumption, enhancing the reliability of equipment and improving the standard of environment. During the Period, approximately RMB80,820,000 was invested in technological improvement projects. 2. Business Outlook for the Second Half of the Year The Company's directors believe that following the implementation of the State's measures to increase domestic demands and to further speed up the pace of industrial reform, the national economy shall continue to develop steadily and healthily. As a result, demand for electricity shall continue to grow. The Company will also benefit from the favourable development of economic environment and the continued growth in electricity demand. The Company will continue to improve its management work, improve equipment efficiency, continue to work on energy conservation, reducing consumption and resource allocation, and exercises tight control over costs with a view to achieve the Company's plans to increase profitability and to realise the return to shareholders. 3. Share Capital and Dividends (1) Share Capital During the Period, the Company had not issued any new shares. As at 30th June, 1999, the total share capital of the Company was RMB5,162,849,000 divided into 5,162,849,000 shares of RMB1 each. (2) Substantial Shareholders During the Period, the substantial shareholders holding more than 10% of the Company's shares were as follows: Name of shareholder Domestic/ Number of Percentage shares of share Foreign capital shares (%) North China Power Group Domestic 1,828,768,20 35.43 Company shares Beijing International Power Domestic 671,792,400 13.01 Development and Investment shares Company Hebei Construction Domestic 671,792,400 13.01 Investment Company shares Tianjin Jinneng Investment Domestic 559,827,000 10.84 Company shares Total 3,732,180,000 72.29 For the purpose of the Securities (Disclosure of Interests) Ordinance, each of the above four shareholders is deemed to be interested in all the 3,732,180,000 domestic shares. (3) Dividends Pursuant to the resolution of the Board of Directors' meeting held on 4th March, 1999 and as approved at the Annual General Meeting on 29th April, 1999, the Company's dividend for 1998 of RMB0.048 per share, totalling approximately RMB247,817,000 would be distributed to the shareholders whose names appeared on the shareholders register of the Company as at 29th March, 1999. Such dividends were distributed before 30th June, 1999, of which those for domestic shares were declared and paid in RMB while those for H Shares were declared in RMB but paid in Hong Kong dollars. The Board of Directors does not recommend any interim dividend for 1999. 4. Use of Proceeds The shares of the Company were listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and the London Stock Exchange Limited on 21st March, 1997. The net proceeds raised were approximately RMB3,702 million. As at 30th June, 1999, approximately RMB2,644 million has been utilized as follows: * approximately RMB1,033 million for the acquisition of Zhang Jia Kou Power Plant Unit 1; * approximately RMB1,103 million for the construction of Zhang Jia Kou Power Plant Phase II; * approximately RMB435 million for the investment in Tianjin Datang Punshan Power Generation Company Limited; and * approximately RMB73 million for the advance payment for Tuoketuo Power Plant Phase I. The balance is currently deposited with commercial banks in foreign currencies and will be used in equity investment in other power projects which are in line with the Company's development strategies. There was no trust deposit and overdue fixed deposit for the Period. 5. Housing Sale Scheme The Company plans to sell staff quarters, currently under development, to its staff. The selling scheme will be formulated in accordance with the housing reform policies of the State and various provinces and municipalities. During the Period, the Company has not sold any quarters to its staff. The Company will promptly make an announcement if the scheme will have any significant impact on the operating results or financial position of the Company. 6. Measures to deal with the Year 2000 Computer Problem and their implementation The Year 2000 ('Y2K') computer problem arises mainly because most of the system engineers use double digits to represent a year in the database to save storage space. As a result, some information system cannot accurately process transaction extending beyond the year 2000. The Company has set up a Y2K problem steering group. A comprehensive Y2K resolving programme has been developed and is being implemented as scheduled. Y2K tests on the production systems of the Company's power plants have been completed. In respect of the Company's and its power plants' computer system hardware, software, applications and communication interfaces with outside organisations which are susceptible to Y2K, system software and hardware are being upgraded and acceptance tests of the upgraded systems are being conducted. The Company expects to complete its Y2K programme by 30th September, with the exception of the upgrade of data collection system for Duo He Power Plant Unit 7 which is planned to be completed in November this year. The Y2K problem is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company's production and operation as the Y2K problem is planned to be resolved before the end of 1999 and the estimated expenses will be approximately RMB13,600,000. All the Company's computer systems at the headquarters have passed the tests for Y2K compliance. All the hardware and software are Y2K compliant. To ensure that the Y2K computer problem will not have a significant impact on the Company's operation, the Company has developed a series of contingency measures. Major measures include a back up of the production system, safety and isolation measures for production systems and manual recording of measuring systems. During the Period, the sum of RMB8,520,000 were spent by the Company in resolving the Y2K problem including the acquisition of fixed assets. As far as the Company is aware, North China Power Group Company, the purchaser of the Company's electricity generated, has made smooth progress in Y2K compliance. Y2K tests on the electrical controls for the power grids have been completed with no major safety problem identified. III. Purchase, Sale and Redemption of Listed Securities of the Company During the Period, no listed securities of the Company were purchased, sold or redeemed. IV. Code of Best Practice In accordance with the requirements of paragraph 14 of the Code of Best Practice set out in Appendix 14 of the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, it was resolved at the directors' meeting of the Company on 18th August, 1999 to establish an audit committee. During the Period, the Company has complied with all the provisions of the Code of Best Practice except paragraph 14. V. Significant Matters (1) The Company's 1998 Annual General Meeting was held in Beijing on 29th April, 1999. Shareholders attending the meeting (in person or by proxy) in aggregate held 4,335,134,412 shares, representing 83.97% of the total shares of 5,162,849,000 of the Company. At the meeting, the report of the directors for 1998, the report of the supervisory committee for 1998 and the profit appropriation plan for 1998 were considered and approved. (2) The transfer of part of the shareholding in the Company held by North China Power Group Company, the Company's major shareholder, to Beijing International Power Development Investment Company, Hebei Construction Investment Company and Tianjin Jinneng Investment Company was approved by the relevant government authorities on 20th May, 1999. The Company's shareholding structures before and after the transfer are as follows: Name of shareholder Domestic/ Percentage Foreign shareholding (%) shares Before After the the change change North China Power Group Domestic 69.81 35.43 Company shares Beijing International Power Domestic 1.86 13.01 Development and Investment shares Company Hebei Construction Domestic 0.62 13.01 Investment Company shares Tianjin Jinneng Investment Domestic --- 10.84 Company shares H Shares Foreign 27.71 27.71 shares Total 100 100 By Order of the Board Huang Jinkai Chairman Beijing, 18th August, 1999 Notice of Extraordinary General Meeting Notice is hereby given that an Extraordinary General Meeting of Beijing Datang Power Generation Company Limited (the 'Company') will be held according to the Articles of Association of the Company and a resolution of the Board of Directors at the Company's Conference Room at 8/F, No. 482 Guanganmennei Avenue, Xuan Wu District, Beijing, People's Republic of China at 9:00 am on Tuesday, 12th October, 1999 for the following purposes: 1. to consider and approve the appointment of Mr Yu Hongji as the Company's executive director and authorise the Board of Directors to determine his remuneration; and 2. to consider and approve, as a special resolution, the amendment of Article 85 of the Company's Articles of Association as: 'The Company shall establish a board of directors, which shall consist of 17 directors. The board shall have one Chairman, two Vice-Chairmen.' By Order of the Board Yang Hongming Company Secretary Beijing, 18th August, 1999 Notes: 1. Holders of the Company's H Shares are reminded that pursuant to Article 37 of the Articles of Association of the Company, the register of members of the Company's H Shares will be closed from 11th September, 1999 to 11th October, 1999, both days inclusive, during which period no transfer of H Shares will be registered. Holders of the Company's H Share, whose names appear on the register of members of the Company on 11th September, 1999 are entitled to attend the Extraordinary General Meeting and to vote thereat. 2. Any shareholder entitled to attend and vote at the Extraordinary General Meeting is entitled to appoint one or more proxies to attend and vote on his behalf. A proxy need not be a shareholder of the Company. 3. Where a shareholder appoints more than one proxy, his proxies may only vote in a poll. 4. To be valid, the form of proxy and, if such proxy is signed by a person on behalf of the appointor pursuant to a power of attorney or other authority, a notarially certified copy of that power of attorney or other authority must be delivered to the Company at 8/F, No. 482 Guanganmennei Avenue, Xuan Wu District, Beijing 100053, People's Republic of China not less than 24 hours before the time appointed for the holding the Extraordinary General Meeting. 5. Shareholders who intend to attend the Extraordinary General Meeting are required to send the Notice of Attendance whether by hand, post, cable or fax to the office of the Company at its registered address on or before 22nd September, 1999. Completion and return of the Notice of Attendance will not affect the right of shareholders to attend the Extraordinary General Meeting. 6. The Extraordinary General Meeting is expected to last for one day. The attending shareholders and proxies shall be responsible for their own travelling and accommodation expenses. Registered address of the Company: No. 482 Guanganmennei Avenue Xuan Wu District Beijing People's Republic of China Tel: (8610) 83581905 Fax: (8610) 83581907 Post Code: 100053 BEIJING DATANG POWER GENERATION COMPANY LIMITED (a joint stock limited company incorporated in the People's Republic of China with limited liability) Notice of Attendance Name of shareholders (Note 1): Number of shares held (Note 2): Domestic Shares/ H Shares I/We intend to attend or appoint a proxy (proxies) to attend the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Company to be held at the Company's Conference Room at 8/F, No. 482 Guanganmennei Avenue, Xuan Wu District, Beijing, People's Republic of China at 9:00 am on Tuesday, 12th October, 1999. Notes: 1. Please insert full name(s) (as shown in the register of members) in block capitals. 2. Please insert the number of shares registered under your name(s). 3. This completed and signed notice should be delivered to the Company at its registered address on or before 22nd September, 1999. This notice may be delivered to the Company by hand, post, cable or fax (fax no. (8610) 83581907). Signature of shareholder: Date:1999 19 August 1999
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