The steelmaker looks to capitalize on the traction in global metal prices caused by the Russia Ukraine conflict. In Q3FY22, the revenue of the company grew 27% YoY to Rs 25,398.4 crore and profit grew by 4.1% YoY to 1,528.5 crore. The steep rise in coking coal put pressure on the margins of the company. The company expects sales volume to grow 25% QoQ to 4.8 million tonnes (MT) of steel in Q4FY22, on the uptick in steel prices. It has already sold 1.6 MT in January 2022 and is confident of achieving an annual sales volume of 16.3 MT. It expects margin pressure to be partially offset by higher sales volume and higher prices in Q4FY22. Coking coal prices saw a 65% jump QoQ to Rs 25,000/tonne in Q3 and it is expected that the prices will increase further in Q4FY22 by Rs 2,000-3,000/tonne. SAIL announced a price hike due to the improving demand situation in India and expects margins to improve going forward.
The company's focus remains to lower its borrowings and has reduced them by 15% QoQ to Rs 19,128 crore in Q3FY22, mainly due to a reduction in trade receivables from Rs 8,100 crore to Rs 1,600 crore. The debt reduction target of achieving net-debt zero by Q1FY23 is now pushed towards the end of FY23. SAIL is working on a expansion plan given global demand, and has planned a capex of Rs 8,000 crore for FY23, double the capex for FY22.