Gensol’s crisis: stock slump, ICRA downgrade, and BluSmart link

Entrackr · 2d

A downgrade by ratings agency ICRA has sent the Gensol Engineering stock on a tailspin, with the stock falling over 40% in the past four days. Gensol Engineering, an Ahmedabad-based company engaged in solar EPC and EV leasing, had been a well-regarded firm in the sector, known for its solar EPC and O&M business. They have claimed that an electric car it developed and shared a prototype of at the recent Bharat Mobility Expo received over 30,000 pre-bookings. The promoters of Gensol also happen to be founders of BluSmart. Even in its Q3 results, the firm declared that total revenues increased 30% to Rs 345 crore from Rs 266 crore a year ago. However, a drop in profit after tax to Rs 6 crore versus Rs 17 crore a year back led to pressure on the stock price. The turmoil began when ICRA downgraded Gensol’s credit rating from BBB- (Stable) to D (Junk/Default), raising concerns over the company’s debt servicing and corporate governance practices. The rating agency claimed that documents shared by Gensol regarding its debt servicing were falsified, casting doubts on the company’s liquidity position. Additionally, ICRA highlighted a rise in the promoter’s pledge, which increased from 79.8% in September 2024 to 85.5% in February 2025. ICRA also noted BluSmart’s financial struggles, including delayed payments on its Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs). Gensol’s promoters planned an equity infusion of Rs 244 crore in FY25 through preferential share warrants, of which Rs 140 crore has been invested. The remaining Rs 100 crore funding has been delayed by about a year. In response to the crisis, Gensol announced plans to reduce its debt by Rs 665 crore, comprising Rs 315 crore from the sale of approximately 3,000 EVs and Rs 350 crore from selling US operations of a wholly-owned subsidiary, Scorpius Trackers. The company’s current debt stands at Rs 1,146 crore after repaying approximately Rs 230 crore in the current financial year. Chairman and Managing Director Anmol Singh Jaggi appeared on business news channels after the credit downgrade, reassuring stakeholders of Gensol’s growth plans and expressing confidence in restoring its credit rating within three months. Meanwhile, the company faced leadership changes with CFO Ankit Jain resigning and Jabir Aga being reappointed. The turmoil places recent project wins, such as 520 MW in two separate projects at Khavda and a total of 500 MW of BESS projects from GUVNL, in the spotlight. Failure to resolve financial troubles could lead to project cancellations. With ratings at Default, Gensol currently cannot access financial institutions and must achieve an upgrade to start tapping funding lines.