State-owned gas utility, GAIL (India) Ltd on Thursday, reported more than tripling of its fourth quarter net profit after natural gas transmission and petrochemical business saw a turnaround.

Its standalone net profit of ₹2,176.97 crore in January-March - the fourth quarter of 2023-24 - was 261 per cent more than ₹603.52 crore net profit, in the same period last year, according to stock exchange filing by the company.

The net profit was, however, 26 per cent lower than ₹2,842.62 crore earning in the preceding quarter of October-December.

The year-on-year rise in profit, was aided by a turnaround in natural gas transmission and petrochemicals business and an uptick in gas marketing.

Against a loss of ₹16.41 crore in gas transmission business in January-March 2023, India's largest gas transportation and marketing firm, booked a pre-tax profit of almost ₹980 crore. Also, the petrochemical business had a pre-tax profit of ₹262.34 crore, compared to a loss of ₹401 crore, in the previous year.

Earnings from natural gas marketing, jumped to ₹1,390 crore in January-March 2024, from ₹487.40 crore, a year back.

Its revenue from operation was almost flat at ₹32,334.50 crore.

For the full 2023-24 fiscal (April, 2023 to March, 2024), GAIL reported a net profit of ₹8,836.48 crore on a revenue of ₹1.3 lakh crore. This was higher than ₹5,301.51 crore profit, on a revenue of ₹1.44 lakh in the previous 2022-23 fiscal year.

GAIL said its board approved an investment of ₹1,792 crore, in laying a pipeline from Vijaipur in Madhya Pradesh to Pata in Uttar Pradesh, to transport feedstock for its petrochemical plant.

The proposed pipeline, which will have a capacity to move 0.95 million tonnes per annum of liquid products, will be completed in 32 months, it added.

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