BREMEN (dpa-AFX) - Wind and solar park operator Energiekontor has posted a jump in profits in the first half of the year. Consolidated earnings rose by almost two-and-a-half times to 21 million euros, the company announced in Bremen on Friday. The management confirmed its forecast, according to which the pre-tax result is expected to grow between 10 and 20 percent this year compared to 62.9 million euros last year, assuming "business develops as planned". After six months, the figure was 27.8 million euros. However, the Management Board also referred to higher investment costs, increased interest rates and project delays due to strained supply chains, which could delay the planned realization. The achievement of targets, and their level, depended to a large extent on the course of business in the second half of the year.

In the first half of the year, all segments made a positive contribution to earnings, Energiekontor continued to report. While the power generation and service business was also operationally in the black last year, Energiekontor had not managed to do so in the project planning and sale of wind and solar parks business in the same period last year. The company's pre-tax profit is expected to grow to around 120 million euros by 2028, a target that was also confirmed./lew/jha/