Step-up in investments at ONGC to delay its deleveraging over next 12-24 months: S&P

A step-up in investments at Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) will slow down its deleveraging over the next 12-24 months, eroding headroom for the state-owned firm's 'bbb+' standalone credit profile, S&P Global Ratings said on Monday.

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Stating that ONGC's financial results for the fiscal year ended on March 31, 2024, were in line with expectations, S&P said despite a decline of 2-3 per cent in the company's domestic oil and gas production volumes and lower realizations in fiscal 2024, EBITDA grew to Rs 1.1 lakh crore from Rs 93,600 crore in fiscal 2023.

"We attribute the higher EBITDA to the strong performance of downstream subsidiaries - Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd, which together accounted for about 30 per cent of the group's EBITDA during the year. We forecast ONGC's EBITDA will remain at about Rs 1 lakh crore over fiscal years 2025 and 2026," it said.