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You are here:  Home / Energy Resources / Quake hurts Dongfang Electric's outlook

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Quake hurts Dongfang Electric's outlook

Published: May 20, 2008 at 12:33 PM
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BEIJING, May 20 (UPI) -- China's giant power equipment maker Dongfang Electric faces tough times ahead on investor concerns over earthquake damage to its plants and machinery.

Shares of Dongfang, based in the quake-hit Sichuan province, fell to the 10 percent daily limit Monday, when trading resumed after a weeklong suspension, to close at 40.37 yuan (about $5.79 a share), China Daily reported.

Dongfang's subsidiary Dongfang Gas Turbine Co., located in the city of Deyang near the quake's epicenter, saw its turbine blade factory and a welding plant destroyed in the May 12 disaster, the report said, adding the unit, which accounted for about 20 percent of the parent's revenues last year, is "believed to have suffered losses of as much as 7 billion yuan (about $1 billion)."

Analysts told the newspaper earthquake-related losses would hurt Dongfang's profits this year.

"Losses are expected to go way beyond the destruction of assets and lost production," said Zou Hui, power-equipment specialist at Orient Securities in Shanghai.

The company would face huge costs to replace experienced workers killed or injured in the quake.

Zou said he expects earnings per share to drop to 1.89 yuan (about 21 U.S. cents) this year from last year's 2.5 yuan (about 36 U.S. cents).

But the more optimistic analysts also noted that Dongfang's increasingly diverse product mix should help offset the quake's impact on earnings. One of them said earnings from gas turbine and other traditional businesses dependent on non-renewable resources in any case are likely to ease in the future.

The report said of the orders the company has received this year, more than 30 percent are for nuclear power equipment and 20 percent for wind power equipment.

China's other state-owned power equipment makers are Shanghai Electric (OTCBB:SIELF) and Harbin Power. Shares of those companies advanced Monday.



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