Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our second quarter presentation. I'm truly excited to present strong financials, additional growth, and also excellent progress on our projects in construction. This means we continue to make significant progress on our strategic objectives, both in terms of growing our renewables portfolio and also in terms of strengthening our balance sheet. Let me start with a summary of the quarter, then I will hand over to Hans Jakob to take us through the financials. Our total proportionate revenues increased to NOK 2.3 billion, and our EBITDA to NOK 1.1 billion. This represents an increased activity level across all our segments. Our projects under construction are progressing well, with revenues close to NOK 1 billion in the quarter, and we're still also recognizing gross margins at the high end of our guided range of 11.4%.
I'm also very pleased with the development of the backlog that is now at an all-time high of 3.2 GW. This is after adding close to 1 GW of solar and battery energy storage systems in South Africa during the quarter. In Egypt, we reached financial close and first drawdown on our Obelisk project during the quarter. Further, we signed a PPA for 900 MW of onshore wind in the country. In terms of the balance sheet, we continue to focus on debt reductions. We repaid NOK 300 million in the quarter, and we repaid another NOK 850 million after the quarter end. With this, our now interest-bearing gross debt on corporate level is down to NOK 6.8 billion, which is a significant reduction relative to where we were one year ago. In terms of power production, we generated 940 GWh in the quarter.
This is an increase of 10% if we adjust for the investments during the year. This is driven by good hydrology in the Philippines and also in Laos, and also a positive contribution from the new project in operation in Botswana, the first phase of our Mmadinare solar cluster. Revenues based on this increased to just above NOK 1.3 billion. This is obviously then driven by the increase in the generation, but it's also related to a one-time effect in the Philippines relative to the formal award of our higher tariff on our ancillary services contract. Adjusted for the invested assets, this is an increase of 48% relative to the same quarter last year. Now, let's take a closer look at the Philippines. The Philippines delivered a strong quarter both in terms of power production, ancillary services, and also in terms of financial contribution.
Power production reached 106 GWh, which is 67% higher than last year. This is due to strong hydrology with high water levels in the reservoirs coming into the quarter and also good water inflows during the quarter. Based on this, revenues reached NOK 493 million in the quarter. The underlying net revenues doubled from last year to PHP 262 million, with power sales increasing to NOK 49 million and ancillary services increasing to PHP 230 million. In addition, we are pleased to have received, as I just said, formal regulatory approval for a higher awarded rate on our ancillary services contract. This has a retroactive effect of NOK 231 million. As you might remember, these contracts or this tender was executed back in 2023, and we have been accumulating this since then.
EBITDA based on this increased to NOK 448 million, and this is also reflecting good OpEx controls in our operations in the Philippines. Importantly, batteries now play an important role in the market, specifically in terms of addressing the reserves market. We are working to increase our portfolio of batteries in the country. We have two battery projects in construction, and we also have a number of mature battery projects in our pipeline. In general, this quarter highlights the earnings potential of the flexible asset portfolio that we have in the Philippines, as we have different technologies and several market segments to play in as we see varying opportunities across the market. In terms of construction, we currently have close to 2 GW of solar and battery energy storage systems under construction in six different countries and at various stages.
Since last reporting, we've had strong progress across the portfolio, and we have recognized close to NOK 1 billion in revenues in the quarter. In South Africa, Grootsfontein is almost finalized, and we expect COD within the next couple of weeks. In Tunisia, construction is progressing well, and also here we expect COD later this year. In Brazil, we reached financial close recently, and we expect also here COD in 2026, in the first half of 2026. This is also the case for Botswana, the second phase of the Mmadinare cluster project, and also for our BESS projects in the Philippines. In terms of Mogobe, our first battery project in South Africa, we expect this one to come into operation during the second half of 2026.
Finally, the Obelisk project in Egypt will be built in two phases, which are expected to be finalized in the first and the second half of next year. I'm very excited about the rapid progression here and proud of the team that is making this happen. We will also show a short video of this a bit later in the presentation. I will now zoom out a bit and talk about the totality of our growth portfolio. We continue to expand our near-term growth portfolio. In addition to the 2 GW that we have under construction, we now also have an all-time high backlog of 3.2 GW. This is after adding another major solar project and a standalone battery energy storage systems project in South Africa.
These growth projects will more than double our installed capacity over the next two years to more than 9 GW relative to the 4.2 GW that we currently have in operation. In addition to this, we do have a large pipeline of 7.7 GW of maturing quality projects, and these are across different technologies. Notably, this also includes the wind project in Egypt, where we just recently signed a PPA for 900 MW, which is a very mature project but still in our pipeline. In addition to this, we also have significant early-stage greenfield development activities, and these projects that are not yet visible in the pipeline will move into the pipeline as they continue to mature. All in all, we believe that this portfolio of growth opportunities forms a solid basis for further growth in the years to come, not only until 2027 but also beyond 2027.
We expect hybrid and pure battery projects to play an increasingly important role in the energy mix in our markets going forward, and this is driven by significant cost reductions and further innovations, and renewable can take a larger and larger part of the energy mix in the markets where we operate. At Scatec , we stand at the forefront of these developments with a solid track record and good experience in doing both battery projects and also combining battery and solar projects. As you see, the majority of our near-term growth is coming from South Africa and Egypt, so let me also briefly touch a bit more on these two countries. Firstly, South Africa, which has been a core market for Scatec for many years. It continues also to be a market where we see significant growth opportunity going forward.
We now have a total of 2.1 GW of solar and 2 GWh of batteries in operation, in construction, and in backlog. In addition, we have also developed and realized the 258 MW round 4 project, which is close to Upington, and this adds to our track record in the market. This is a project that we divested in 2023. This summer, we announced an additional award of 846 MW solar in the REIPPPP Round 7 as the authorities reallocated capacity from wind to solar in that auction. This is our biggest award in South Africa to date. We were also awarded another sizable battery storage project, the 123 MW, 492 MWh Haru BESS project. South Africa is a very attractive market for us based on our track record, our integrated and capital-light business model, and also the long-term very attractive growth perspective in the market.
Here, we can have low net equity contributions based on a 51% ownership stake, based on 90% leverage of the project, and also based on a full EPC scope that we are realizing these projects with. This enables us to capture value with a very low capital employed related to the projects that we pursue here. Further, our corporate PPA platform, Lyra Energy, targeting the private market, is also progressing well and will further diversify our offtake structures in the country. Lyra Energy also just received a trading license, which shows that this platform is also progressing very well. All in all, we believe we are well positioned to capture further attractive growth in the market. Now, over to Egypt and our largest solar and battery storage project to date, the 1.1 GW and 200 MWh Obelisk project in Egypt.
Here, I'm incredibly impressed by the rapid mobilization of our team related to this project. We are really moving fast. In this video, we are showing both the massive scale of the plant and the significant progress our team has made during the last few months of construction activity. The first phase, half of the solar capacity and all the batteries, is expected to reach COD in the first half of 2026, while the remaining, the second half of the PV capacity, will be installed and reach COD in the second half of 2026. The site is about 20 square kilometers. We now have over 1,500 people working on site and have recorded over 1 million safe working hours. The safety of our people is top priority, obviously, not only here but across our portfolio and across our sites globally.
Pilot ramming has reached 40% completion for the first phase, and construction activity is ramping up. On average, we expect to install 200,000 PV modules on a monthly basis going forward on this site. Substation works are on track, which obviously is crucial for us to ensure that we meet COD according to our schedule. Obelisk will drive significant EPC revenues and margins in 2025 and also in 2026. With that, I will hand over to Hans Jakob to take you through the financials.
Thank you, Terje. It's a privilege to say that we have delivered strong results driven by the higher power production, the high D&C activity, and it's a strong quarter in the Philippines, also complemented by the ancillary services rates recognized, the retroactive effect. I'll take you through the group financials and the performance of the operating segments. I'll also share the progress we are doing on strengthening our capital structure. Starting with group-level performance, we delivered strong results in the quarter. The consolidated revenues were up by 12% to NOK 1.3 billion. EBITDA reached NOK 1 billion, up 10%. To the right, you see the proportionate figures. Revenues increased by 51% to NOK 2.3 billion, and the EBITDA grew by 19% to NOK 1.1 billion. Now, let me take you through the segments, starting with power production. The power production segment delivered a strong quarter.
Revenues reached NOK 1.3 billion, up 26% from the same quarter last year. EBITDA was NOK 1.1 billion, a 27% increase year on year. This is mainly driven by the strong performance in the Philippines and the retroactive effect. On a 12-month rolling basis, you can see positive development over the past quarters, which shows both the underlying growth and strong contribution from the investments. We have delivered more than NOK 6.3 billion in revenues and NOK 5.4 billion in EBITDA. Overall, we are very pleased with the value generated from our operating assets. In our development and construction segment, activity levels continue to increase. Proportionate revenues were NOK 976 million and the EBITDA NOK 49 million. Keep in mind that the second quarter last year, we realized a contingency of NOK 122 million from Kenhardt, positively impacting the EBITDA.
The quarterly revenue shows variability depending on project phasing, but the trend from the last 12 months confirms the long-term strength and scalability of our D&C business. It gives a clearer picture of the strong momentum we are building. Over the past year, D&C revenues have reached NOK 3.4 billion with a steady increase over the last four quarters, and we aim to continue. Rolling EBITDA ended at NOK 139 million with strong contribution from high-margin projects and disciplined cost control. The increasing trend reflects higher activity levels across several geographies, with Obelisk in Egypt at the forefront. With a strong backlog moving into construction, we expect D&C to remain a key engine of our continued profitable growth. At the end of the quarter, we had available liquidity of NOK 4.4 billion.
The reduction is mainly driven by the repayment of debt and interest, partly offset by distributions from power plants. Let me explain some of the main movements. We received NOK 327 million in distributions from power plants, invested net NOK 119 million in growth projects, and paid NOK 293 million of interest and NOK 582 million in debt repayments. Additionally, we increased the RCF capacity by $5 0 million-$2 230 million during the quarter, and it is currently underwritten. We continue to strengthen our capital structure. Net corporate debt increased to NOK 5.6 billion from NOK 5.2 billion in the first quarter. The increase is mainly driven by the change in cash, while gross corporate debt was reduced by NOK 600 million, including a NOK 300 million repayment and favorable FX movements. The cash position and the net interest in debt will vary over time, dependent on cash movements.
On project level, the net debt increased by NOK 200 million to NOK 13.6 billion. Project debt in operation was reduced by NOK 600 million, and we drew NOK 800 million of new debt for projects under construction. Now, look at the progress on deleveraging. In Q3 last year, we set a clear strategy to rotate assets and reduce corporate debt, targeting to strengthen our capital structure towards 2027. I'm pleased with our progress on reducing corporate debt. Step by step, we are making repayments while ensuring we have a strong liquidity position and headroom to advance growth initiatives. During the quarter, we repaid NOK 300 million of vendor debt to Northend, while foreign exchange movements also reduced the gross corporate debt by another NOK 300 million.
We repaid $85 million remaining under one of the term loans after the reporting date, bringing our current corporate debt down to NOK 6.8 billion. This happened after the quarter and also affects our liquidity position. We have now reduced the corporate debt by 26% since the strategy update in the third quarter last year. These reductions reflect our continued commitment to capital efficiency and balance sheet strength, and they position us well to finance growth without increasing corporate leverage. Let me share the outlook for 2025. For the full year, we estimate power production between 4,000 GWh and 4,300 GWh, slightly reduced from last quarter, mainly due to curtailments in Brazil and Ukraine. It is worth mentioning that the impact on EBITDA is marginal, as the majority of the curtailments are refundable.
We keep our estimated full-year 2025 EBITDA unchanged with a range of NOK 4,150 million-an OK 4,450 million. While FX has had a positive effect on our corporate debt, it also affects our EBITDA negatively. This effect is, however, offset by overperformance in the quarter, and we retain our full-year 2025 EBITDA estimate. For the third quarter, we expect a total power production between 1,100 GHh and 1,200 GWh, and EBITDA in the Philippines between NOK 280 million and NOK 380 million, based on normal hydrology and strong contributions from ancillary services. In our D&C segment, we currently have a remaining contract value of NOK 6 billion and a gross margin estimate of 10%- 12% on average across the portfolio of projects under construction. For corporate, we expect a full-year EBITDA of NOK 115 million to NOK 125 million negative, in line with previous estimates.
These estimates reflect a strong base of operating assets, high construction activity, and healthy cost control, a good start of the year, position us well for 2025 targets. I welcome you back, Terje, to provide the summary of the key points.
Thank you, Hans Jakob. To summarize, this has been a very strong quarter for Scatec. Firstly, we have delivered solid financial results with significant year-on-year growth in both revenues and EBITDA, and this is driven by strong power generation, strong results in the Philippines, and also increased activity across our DNC portfolio. Second, we are executing at scale with 2 GW under construction and more than 3 GW in backlog. The near-term growth is set to substantially increase our operating portfolio over the next 2 to 3 years. Finally, as Hans Jakob also pointed out, we are making solid progress on our capital structure. Through the investments and refinancing, we've reduced corporate debt, extended our maturity profiles, and also strengthened our financial flexibility significantly over the last year. All of this reinforces the robustness of our platform and our strategy of self-funded profitable growth.
With that, we can move to Q&A.
Thank you, Terje. Yes, we will start with questions here in the room, and then we will take questions from our online listeners. Just raise your hand, and Brage will bring you the microphone. Any questions from the audience here?
Thank you. Can you give us an update on your asset sale progress or portfolio or efforts?
Yeah, as you know, we have already recognized NOK 2.6 billion in proceeds from asset sales since we set out with our target to achieve NOK 4 billion in proceeds in the period through 2027. We have currently a number of processes ongoing, but obviously, we will wait with saying something specific until contracts are signed.
Thank you. I also have a question on the Philippines, because you're providing guidance on a quarterly basis on the Philippines on EBITDA contribution for the upcoming quarter, and you have at least during the first half beaten that guidance very significantly, both in Q1 and Q2. I was wondering, is it that difficult to have visibility on the EBITDA contribution in the Philippines for you as well? Is it that difficult?
I think what has surprised us positively, and you can recognize that, is the earnings potential of the battery systems that we have in the Philippines. I mean, at the end, the battery systems are, I mean, currently, they are 26 MW, so it's relatively limited in sort of in relation to what we have on the hydropower side. Still, the earnings potential with good prices in the resource market has been a positive surprise also to us. That is obviously something that we will take into consideration when we provide guidance and outlook and estimates going forward.
A final question from me. With that in mind, what kind of payback times do you have for the battery investments when they are performing as well as they do in the Philippines?
I'm not going to give you a number of years or months, but it's short.
Weeks or?
Thank you very much. Any more questions from the audience here? No? We will move over to the questions, the online questions. We have one question from Jørgen Lande at Danske Bank. Good morning. Related to the curtailments in Ukraine and Brazil, can you provide some more color on why this has emerged now, and is this a one-off for the second half of 2025 or a more persistent feature going forward?
Yeah, as you will have seen from the guidance, we are keeping the financial outlook intact, and we are reducing the gigawatt-hours outlook related to the curtailment situation. This is due to the fact that the curtailment situation is not new, but we see that it is probably continuing longer than what we had expected. Also, as Hans Jakob Hegge said, this is curtailment that we are mostly compensated for.
One question from Sindre Eftestøl related to Grootsfontein. You already mentioned it, Terje, but it's about when do we expect COD for Grootsfontein?
Yeah, as we indicated, we are expecting COD within the next few weeks. Previously, we have indicated that it would come in the first half. It's a bit delayed relative to that. The delays are not due to the poor performance on our side.
We have one more question about asset sales. I think we have been through that. Then one from a two-question from Vegard Nygaard. Given that Scatec has a significant pipeline and several large projects in Egypt, how do you assess the geographic concentration risk? Is there a point where you would set a limit on how much exposure you want to have in a country?
Do you want to take it?
Yeah, I can take it. First of all, I'm amazed by this video, and I think it's fantastic to see the industrial progress we're making in this country. I think we can be proud about the legacy around Benban and being a significant operator with a high level of confidence in the country. As Terje also alluded to, we see new opportunities lately, the 900 MW wind added to our pipeline. Is this a problem? If it is, it's a luxury problem. We look closely at ownership stakes in these projects. Of course, we have approached divestments or reducing ownership stakes in other geographies. I think it's better to talk about real transactions, as Terje said, than speculating. I think we can be very pleased with the development in Egypt overall. Just to cure the curiosity, in the third quarter, we will also give a strategy update, including covering Egypt.
Second question from Vegard. Could you give an update on the farm-down process for the Obelisk project? Will there be a separate market announcement once an agreement is reached?
Yeah, the farm-down of the Obelisk project is progressing well. There will be announcements when we sign contracts on that.
Advanced discussions ongoing.
Thank you. We have one from Andreas Nygard, Nordea. Another one on divestments. I'm not sure if you want to give some more color, but could you please provide some color on the remaining divestments you are targeting? Are you aiming to conclude the last divestment in 2025?
I think, as we just said, we will not give specific updates on individual investments or exactly when they're going to happen. You will see the announcements, and our target of NOK 4 billion by the end of 2027 stands firm.
One question from Anis Zyaga from ODDO BHIF Could you give us an update on CapEx levels in solar and storage? Are you seeing an increase in module prices after the very strong decrease?
There has been on module prices, there have been some fluctuations, but there are no significant changes we've seen over the last three to six months. I think we gave an update on what we had seen over the last couple of years, a couple of quarters ago, where we've seen significant reductions on the module prices. On battery prices, we continue to see price decreases on batteries.
One more question. Thomas Ness from Sparebanken . Should we expect quick rotation of assets built in non-core markets, such as the Botswana project and the Romania project? A lot on asset rotation today.
Yeah, this will depend on a number of different elements. I think, first of all, some of the smaller markets today can grow into larger markets, and then it might make sense to build a larger portfolio. We will assess every asset individually. Clearly, markets where we will not continue to see a significant growth potential going forward in those markets over time, we will look to divest the assets.
We have so far no more questions. We maybe just wait. Sometimes there is a time lag, but otherwise, we will just end the presentation now.
Okay.
Yeah.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you.