Report

QuickView: Light at the end of the tunnel for biomass

Drax’s sharp drop in H1 EBITDA to £70m from £120m, while disappointing, was well flagged by management and signposted by commodity moves. Of far more interest, we believe, are the impending regulatory changes that will modify Drax’s earnings profile. The company expects to hear about state aid on contracts for difference (CFDs) this autumn. This will mark a continuation of Drax’s transformation from its historic earnings sensitivity to swings in electricity, coal and carbon prices to a more stable, regulated earnings profile. Provided the regimes introduced are profitable, we believe regulatory certainty and enhanced profitability will drive a stock
re-rating.
Underlying
Drax Group plc

Drax Group operates an integrated value chain across three principal areas of activity: sustainable wood pellet production, which produces wood pellets from sustainable low-value commercial forestry residues for use in the generation of low-carbon electricity; electricity generation, which produces low-carbon electricity from sustainably sourced wood pellets and provides system support services to the electricity grid from biomass and coal generation; and energy sales and services to business customers, which supplies low-carbon energy solutions as well as power, gas and services to industrial, corporate and small businesses.

Provider
Edison Investment Research
Edison Investment Research

Edison is an investment research and advisory company, with offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East and AsiaPac. The heart of Edison is our world renowned equity research platform and deep multi-sector expertise. At Edison Investment Research, our research is widely read by international investors, advisors and stakeholders. Edison Advisors leverages our core research platform to provide differentiated services including investor relations and strategic consulting.

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