Conconcreto 3Q 2018 Net Income Jumps 46% Year-on-Year

Medellin-based construction giant Conconcreto announced November 14 that its third quarter (3Q) 2018 net income rose 46.4% year-on-year, to COP$50 billion (US$15.6 million).

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose by 6.6%, to COP$147 billion (US$46 million), while EBITDA margin climbed to 20.9%, from 14.7% a year earlier.

Gross revenues however dipped 25% year-on-year, to COP$703 billion (US$220 million), from COP$938 billion (US$294 million) in 3Q 2017.

In a separate November 21 posting to Colombia’s Superfinanciera regulatory agency, the company pointed-out that problems with EPM’s under-construction, 2.4-gigawatt “Hidroituango” hydroelectric plant haven’t had any follow-on financial impact to date on the “CCC Ituango” construction consortium, of which Conconcreto is one of the company members. Nor do the company’s recent sales of some assets have anything to do with EPM’s financial problems arising from the three-year delay of power sales from that project.

In the company’s infrastructure projects segment in the latest quarter, Conconcreto explained that it has signed a deal with Colombia’s Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura (ANI) to terminate the existing “Via Pacifico” highway contract because of geological problems in the sector Loboguerrero-Mediacanoa.

A new ANI contract aims to overcome those issues – and simultaneously free Conconcreto from certain excess-cost issues arising from the geological problems.

In its highway concessions division, Conconcreto signed a deal to launch construction of a section of the Soacha-El Muña highway near Bogota.

As for the proposed “Doble Calzada Oriente” (DCO) divided highway project east of Medellin (between Sancho Paisa and El Tablazo), this project awaits a final approval from Colombia’s Treasury Ministry. Once that’s completed, the project then will be put out to bid, with Conconcreto aiming to become the construction contractor.

As for its over-all construction backlog, Conconcreto reported that as of end-September 2018, COP$1.975 trillion (US$619 million) in projects are outstanding, two-thirds of which are in infrastructure and the remaining one-third in housing.

So far this year, Conconcreto’s construction services division has focused on projects for the “Pactia” commercial real-estate venture including Hotel Corferias (Bogotá), the El Ensueño Shopping Center (Bogotá), and Cedi Colgate Palmira (Valle del Cauca).

“Execution was also focused on projects for third parties such as the Chamber of Commerce of Medellín [Poblado branch], Admininstration EPSA (Valle del Cauca), Torre Avianca Calle 26 (Bogotá), second-stage Nova (Jumbo, Valle del Cauca), and complementary buildings for the Ecocementos plant (Antioquia),” according to the company.