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Energy supplier SSE has announced its customer base is down to 8.49 million compared with 8.58 million on 31 March this year, a decrease of 90,000 in the first quarter of its financial year.
In its Q1 trading statement, the company warned that this will result in a decline in operating profit in energy supply for the coming financial year, compared with 2014/15.
However, SSE said it expects to earn an increase in operating profit in its electricity generation business in 2015/16.
Electricity output from gas, oil and renewables increased, with gas- and oil-fired power stations producing 2.42TWh compared with 2.19TWh in 2014/15, and 2.20TWh coming from renewable sources compared with 1.62TWh.
Generation from coal-fired power stations was down to just 0.41TWh, compared with 1.79TWh and SSE said this reflected the poor market conditions for coal.
Chief executive Alistair Phillips-Davies said the firm is in a “good position” to “respond constructively” to the key issues likely to emerge in the rest of this financial year and that the firm’s financial outlook “remains as set out in May”.
He said: “While there have been significant developments affecting all parts of the business, there has also been important progress in operational performance, which is essential for meeting the expectations of customers now and in the future.”
Analysts said SSE’s trading statement was “much as expected”.
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