Summary of H1 2021 in the Stalexport Autostrady Capital Group

In H1 2021, the Stalexport Autostrady Capital Group recorded very good financial results. Both revenue and net profit has increased compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. This is due to less stringent restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic than in the year prior and, therefore, a higher level of traffic on the A4 Katowice-Kraków motorway, among other factors.

At the end of H1 2021, revenue generated by the Stalexport Autostrady Group amounted to PLN 158.8 million, up by more than 23% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. The net profit increased by 41% to PLN 48.8 million. EBITDA totalled PLN 104.7 million.

Motorway activities consisting in the management and operation of the toll section of the A4 Katowice-Kraków motorway, carried out by Stalexport Autostrada Małopolska S.A. (SAM), a subsidiary, had the biggest impact on the financial results of the Stalexport Autostrady Capital Group.

In H1 2021, traffic on the A4 Katowice-Kraków motorway was experiencing an upward trend after large drops recorded in the previous year in connection with restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Average daily traffic amounted to approx. 37.5 thous. vehicles and was 15% higher than traffic recorded in the corresponding period of 2020. The increase was observed for both passenger cars (14.7%) and heavy goods vehicles (17.8%).

Toll revenue in H1 2021 amounted to PLN 156.8 million, up by 23.8% compared to the corresponding period of 2020. In addition to higher traffic intensity, this increase was also the result of raising the toll rate for passenger car drivers from PLN 10 to PLN 12 at each of the two toll plazas, effective as of 1 October 2020.

In H1 2021, the operating expenses of the Stalexport Autostrady Group amounted to PLN 96.5 million and were 14.6% higher than in the corresponding period of the previous year, mainly due to higher depreciation/amortization (PLN 40 million in the current period compared to PLN 29 million in the previous period) and the amounts of “Payments to the State Treasury” (nearly PLN 21 million in the current period compared to PLN 14.9 million in the previous period).

The concessionaire continued activities intended to reduce transaction time and improve the capacity of toll plazas on the A4 Katowice-Kraków motorway. The videotolling service was made available to PKO Bank Polski IKO app and ORLEN fleet card users.

The value of investment expenditures incurred by the Stalexport Autostrady Group in H1 2021 amounted to PLN 16 million and covered primarily construction work carried out on the A4 Katowice-Kraków motorway, including, but not limited to, the drainage system for the Silesian section of the motorway and modernization of culverts. As part of maintenance operations, the Company continued to replace road surface on the motorway, making effort to minimize traffic disruptions and keeping two lanes both towards Katowice and Kraków in operation.

Emil Wąsacz, CEO of the Management Board of Stalexport Autostrady S.A. and Stalexport Autostrada Małopolska S.A.:

The Group has taken and will continue to take steps to improve the quality of customer service provided to motorway users by improving the toll collection system. These activities are intended to increase the capacity of toll plazas by significantly reducing transaction time compared to traditional payment methods using cash and bank cards, and enabling drivers to pass through motorway toll gates quickly and conveniently.

We are also engaging in discussions with additional partners to further expand access to videotolling. In the future, we hope to launch an interoperable solution with the e-TOLL system implemented by the Public Partner on the Katowice-Kraków section of the A4 motorway. We have been raising the topic of interoperability in communications with the Public Partner for many years. For the convenience of all motorway users in Poland, we would like to be able to finally introduce an ability to travel on these roads using only one electronic method of payment