TRIS Rating Assigns “A-” Rating to Senior Unsecured Debt Worth Up to THB1

TRIS Rating affirms the company rating on WHA Utilities and Power PLC (WHAUP) and the ratings on its outstanding senior unsecured debentures at ?A-? with a ?stable? rating outlook. At the same time, TRIS Rating assigns the ?A-? rating to WHAUP?s proposed issue of up to THB1.0 billion in senior unsecured debentures. The company intends to use the proceeds from the new debenture issuance to refinance existing debts and/or to support general corporate purposes.

The ratings reflect WHAUP?s status as a core subsidiary of WHA Corporation PLC (WHA) according to TRIS Rating?s ?Group Rating Methodology?. WHA is rated ?A-/stable? by TRIS Rating.

WHAUP?s performance in the first nine months of 2021 was in line with our forecast. Total operating revenue and net profit were THB1.68 billion and THB582 million, respectively, that achieved 76% and 82% of our projection for full-year 2021. WHAUP has a moderately leveraged capital structure. The debt to capitalization ratio was 48%, aligned with as of year-end 2020. Adjusted net debt to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) was 5.4 times, annualized from the trailing 12 months.

According to the key financial covenant on its debentures, WHAUP must maintain its net interest-bearing debt to equity ratio below 2.5 times. The ratio was 0.9 times as of September 2021. WHAUP has no priority debt as of 30 September 2021.

RATING OUTLOOK

The ?stable? outlook mirrors the outlook on WHA. We expect the business model and the level of integration between WHA and WHAUP to remain unchanged.

RATING SENSITIVITIES

As a core subsidiary of WHA, the ratings on WHAUP are tied to the ratings on WHA. Any change in the credit rating on WHA, or WHAUP?s group status, will affect WHAUP?s ratings accordingly.

RELATED CRITERIA

- Key Financial Ratio and Adjustments for Corporate Issuers, 11 January 2022

- Issue Rating Criteria, 15 June 2021

- Group Rating Methodology, 13 January 2021

- Rating Methodology ? Corporate, 26 July 2019

WHA Utilities and Power PLC (WHAUP)

Company Rating: A-

Issue Ratings:

WHAUP222A: THB700 million senior unsecured debentures due 2022 A-

WHAUP22DA: THB1,500 million senior unsecured debentures due 2022 A-

WHAUP236A: THB1,290 million senior unsecured debentures due 2023 A-

WHAUP237A: THB1,500 million senior unsecured debentures due 2023 A-

WHAUP247A: THB1,300 million senior unsecured debentures due 2024 A-

WHAUP256A: THB1,320 million senior unsecured debentures due 2025 A-

WHAUP267A: THB700 million senior unsecured debentures due 2026 A-

WHAUP302A: THB1,500 million senior unsecured debentures due 2030 A-

Up to THB1,000 million senior unsecured debentures due within 1 year A-

Rating Outlook: Stable

TRIS Rating Co., Ltd./www.trisrating.com

Contact: santaya@trisrating.com, Tel: +66 2 098 3000/Silom Complex Building, 24th Floor, 191 Silom Road, Bangkok 10500, Thailand

? Copyright 2022, TRIS Rating Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use, disclosure, copying, republication, further transmission, dissemination, redistribution or storing for subsequent use for any purpose, in whole or Any unauthorized use, disclosure, copying, republication, further transmission, dissemination, redistribution, or storing for subsequent use for any purpose, in whole or in part, in any form or manner or by any means whatsoever, by any person, of the credit rating reports or information is prohibited, without the prior written permission of TRIS Rating Co., Ltd. The credit rating is not a statement of fact or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any debt instruments. It is an expression of opinion regarding credit risks for that instrument or particular company. The opinion expressed in the credit rating does not represent investment or other advice and should therefore not be construed as such. Any rating and information contained in any report written or published by TRIS Rating has been prepared without taking into account any recipient?s particular financial needs, circumstances, knowledge and objectives. Therefore, a recipient should assess the appropriateness of such information before making an investment decision based on this information. Information used for the rating has been obtained by TRIS Rating from the company and other sources believed to be reliable. Therefore, TRIS Rating does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any such information and will accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from any inaccuracy, inadequacy or incompleteness. Also, TRIS Rating is not responsible for any errors or omissions, the result obtained from, or any actions taken in reliance upon such information. All methodologies used can be found at www.trisrating.com/rating-information/rating-criteria

TRIS Rating Assigns “A-” Rating to Senior Unsecured Debt Worth Up to THB1 Billion of “WHAUP”, with “Stable” Outlook