Summary of China Energy Engineering Corporation Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: China Energy Engineering Corporation (中国能建) - **Industry**: Construction and Energy Key Points Financial Performance - New contracts, revenue, and profit reached historical highs, with nearly double-digit growth, leading among state-owned construction enterprises [2][3] - Domestic power business contract signing increased by approximately 4 percentage points year-on-year [3] Market Strategy - Optimized market layout with a focus on regional strategic alignment, resulting in the formation of a core market worth over 100 billion and multiple markets worth 50 billion [4] - New contract value expected to reach 1.4 trillion yuan in 2024, with over 300 billion yuan in Q1 2025 [4] Renewable Energy and Smart Energy - Contracts in renewable and integrated smart energy sectors accounted for nearly 40% of total contracts, showing significant year-on-year growth [6] - By the end of 2024, the company secured 70 GW of renewable energy development indicators, with a controlled installed capacity exceeding 15 GW [6] Research and Development - R&D expenditure for 2024 is close to 15 billion yuan, with an intensity of 3.35% [7] - Nearly 2,000 patents granted, with several projects recognized as national demonstration projects [7] Data Center Business - The company is strategically positioned in five key regions for data center development as part of the East Data West Computing initiative [8] - The first phase of the data center in Gansu Qinyang has been leased, with plans to start construction in Beijing and Shanxi [8] - Total investment in data centers is projected at approximately 17 billion yuan, excluding renewable energy and computing investments [10] Cost Management - Long-term electricity price agreements with clean energy sources are expected to significantly reduce operational costs for data centers [9] Storage and New Energy Projects - The company is actively developing various forms of energy storage, including pumped storage and compressed air storage [13][15] - Plans to establish 100 compressed air storage projects, with ongoing developments in Gansu and Hubei [15] Market Challenges and Adaptations - The company is adapting to regulatory changes, including the 136 document, which necessitates more cautious investment strategies [21] - Despite cash flow pressures due to increased asset-liability ratios, the company is implementing measures to stabilize financial conditions [21] Shareholder Engagement and Market Management - The company is committed to improving shareholder value through increased dividend payouts and potential share buybacks [22] - A planned directed issuance of 9 billion yuan is underway, with expectations for completion within the year [23][24] Future Outlook - The company is optimistic about future growth, particularly in the renewable energy and data center sectors, and aims to share development benefits with shareholders [22] Additional Insights - The company is focusing on technological innovation and has established a hydrogen energy company to enhance its market position [19] - The integration of energy and data center operations is expected to improve capital returns [11]

Core Viewpoint - China Energy Construction (中国能建) has received approval for its first refinancing since its A-share listing, aiming to raise up to 9 billion yuan through a private placement of shares to fund four major projects in the renewable energy sector [1][5]. Group 1: Financing and Projects - The company plans to issue no more than 8.338 billion shares, raising a total of up to 9 billion yuan for projects including the Hami "solar (thermal) storage" integrated green power demonstration project [1][3]. - The fundraising plan has undergone several revisions since its initial announcement in October 2022, with the maximum fundraising amount adjusted from 15 billion yuan to 9 billion yuan [3][4]. - The four projects earmarked for funding include the Hami project, a thermal and photovoltaic integration project in Zhejiang, a compressed air energy storage project in Hubei, and a wind power project in Uzbekistan [3][5]. Group 2: Business Performance - In 2024, the company's new energy and integrated smart energy business achieved a new contract amount of 559.739 billion yuan, accounting for 39.73% of the total new contracts, with a compound annual growth rate of 42.27% over the past three years [7]. - The revenue from the new energy and integrated smart energy business reached 139.762 billion yuan in 2024, representing a year-on-year growth of 13.92% and constituting 32% of the company's total revenue [7]. - For the first quarter of 2025, the company reported a revenue of 100.371 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.05%, and a net profit of 1.612 billion yuan, up 8.83% [8]. Group 3: Market Position and Growth - China Energy Construction is recognized as a global leader in energy construction, consistently ranking among the top in various international engineering and contracting lists [6][7]. - The company has established over 200 overseas branches in more than 90 countries and regions, demonstrating its extensive global reach [6]. - The company has been proactive in seizing opportunities in the renewable energy market, particularly in wind, solar, and hydrogen sectors [7].

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for China Energy Construction (3996.HK) [1] Core Views - The company has demonstrated stable operations with rapid growth in its new energy business, achieving a revenue of 436.71 billion CNY and a net profit of 8.4 billion CNY in 2024, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 7.6% and 5.1% respectively [4][5] - The new energy and integrated smart energy sectors have shown significant revenue growth, contributing to the overall revenue increase and optimization of the business structure [5] - The company has improved its cash flow management, with a net operating cash inflow of 11.03 billion CNY in 2024, an increase of 15.4 billion CNY compared to the previous year [8] Financial Performance Summary - In 2024, the company achieved operating revenue of 436.71 billion CNY, a year-on-year increase of 7.6%, and a net profit of 8.4 billion CNY, up 5.1% [4] - For Q1 2025, the company reported operating revenue of 100.37 billion CNY, a 3.0% increase year-on-year, and a net profit of 1.61 billion CNY, which is an 8.8% increase [4] - The gross margin for 2024 was 12.4%, slightly down from the previous year, while the net margin was 2.7% [6] Business Segments and Regional Performance - The new energy and integrated smart energy sectors generated revenue of 139.76 billion CNY in 2024, a 13.9% increase year-on-year [5] - The company’s engineering construction, investment operation, industrial manufacturing, and surveying design and consulting segments reported revenues of 366.82 billion CNY, 36.13 billion CNY, 32.22 billion CNY, and 20.83 billion CNY respectively in 2024 [5] - Domestic and overseas revenues for 2024 were 380.57 billion CNY and 56.14 billion CNY, reflecting increases of 8.8% and 0.03% respectively [5] Contract and Order Growth - The company signed new contracts worth 1,408.88 billion CNY in 2024, a 9.8% increase year-on-year, with significant contributions from engineering construction and surveying design [7] - In Q1 2025, new contracts amounted to 388.9 billion CNY, a 5.8% increase year-on-year, with notable growth in the new energy sector [7] Profitability and Valuation - The report projects a decrease in net profit forecasts for 2025 and 2026 to 9.1 billion CNY and 9.6 billion CNY respectively, reflecting adjustments due to market conditions [8] - The estimated P/E ratio for 2025 is 4.2, indicating a favorable valuation compared to historical performance [9]