Gasum Group financial result Q1 2019: Use of gas in transport continued to grow

Key financial indicators January 1 to March 31, 2019:

• Group revenue increased by 2% and totaled €396.6 million (2018: €390.5 million).

• Operating profit totaled €61.1 million, down 16% year on year (€72.8 million).

• Balance sheet total increased to €1,628.2 million (€1,526.6 million) following the introduction of the new IFRS 16 standard.

• The Group’s financial position remained strong in the reporting period, with the equity ratio being 42.5% (December 31, 2018: 43.7%).

Gasum Group CEO Johanna Lamminen comments on the first quarter of 2019:

”Our financial performance was in line with our expectations during Q1. Our revenue increased to €396.6 million in the period under review, up 2% year on year (2018: €390.5 million). Our operating profit was €61.1 million, down from the €72.8 million posted for the corresponding period a year earlier. The result was affected by the sales volumes of an exceptionally cold spell in the reference period.

In Q1, we continued our purposeful steps forward in our strategy implementation. The demand for clean gas solutions is growing strongly, and total gas sales volumes are projected to increase. As a low-emission fuel, the role of gas will increase in the future, above all in maritime transport and heavy-duty road transport as action to curb climate change calls for a transition to cleaner solutions. In the years ahead, we will be investing in the development of the Nordic gas market and infrastructure.

Effective from January 2019, we reformed our organization structure to support our Nordic strategy implementation. Our new businesses were on a positive trajectory during Q1. Our energy market services provided under our Portfolio Management and Trading business support our energy-sector partners in the changing market, and demand for market services such as those relating to electricity trading is growing.

Our preparations have continued ahead of the opening up of the Finnish gas market at the start of 2020, which is when the transmission business will be unbundled into a separate company. Work related to the opening up of the gas market will continue strongly throughout the year.

During the period under review, Gasum’s bunkering vessel Coralius performed its 100th ship-to-ship bunkering of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

We also announced the expansion of an important road transport partnership with IKEA Finland in Q1. This year will see us open gas filling stations serving lighter vehicles in conjunction with the IKEA stores in Raisio, Kuopio and Tampere, Finland. Gas as a fuel is also attracting interest among public transport and particularly heavy-duty transport operators. The City of Lappeenranta will introduce low-emission gas buses and several transport companies have taken gas-fueled heavy-duty vehicles and biogas-fueled delivery vehicles into service. The increasing use of gas-fueled vehicles promotes significant emission cuts in transport.

The size of the Nordic heavy-duty vehicle filling station network will become many times bigger in the next few years. Switching to gas in heavy-duty transport will enable major transport emission cuts.”

Please read the Gasum Group Financial result Q1 2019 here>

For further information please contact:
Johanna Lamminen, Chief Executive Officer, Gasum 
Phone. +358 20 44 78 661, (Henna Walker, Executive Assistant)
firstname.surname(a)gasum.com

The energy company Gasum is a Nordic gas sector and energymarket expert. Together with its partners, Gasum is building a bridge towards a carbon-neutral society on land and at sea. www.gasum.com.

Tags: