The equity raw coal production of Australian miner Whitehaven Coal Ltd. totaled 4.00 million tonnes during October-December 2023, rising 3.4% from 3.87 million tonnes a year earlier, the company announced on January 19.
The volume, however, was 6% lower than the quarter-ago level of 4.26 million tonnes.
The company produced 3.36 million tonnes of equity commercial coal, up 4.1% on the year but down 5.3% quarter on quarter.
The increase reflected normal production from open-pit mines in Maules Creek and Gunnedah, while the quarter decline was ascribed to geological challenges in longwall mining and equipment reliability issues at Narrabri mines.
The company's equity coal sales over the same period rose 8.3% on the year and 20.6% on the quarter to 3.71 million tonnes, its quarterly report showed. The average selling price was A$216/t, lower than A$527/t a year ago and A$224/t in the preceding quarter.
In the first half the ongoing fiscal year (July 2023-June 2024), the equity raw coal output of Whitehaven Coal stood at 8.26 million tonnes, up 17% year on year, while the equity saleable coal production rose 4% to 6.91 million tonnes.
The company's equity coal sales increased 7% from the previous year to 6.97 million tonnes, the report said.
Whitehaven Coal plans to produce a total 18.7-20.7 million tonnes of coal for FY2023-24, and the equity coal sales are predicted be 12.7-13.9 million tonnes.
(Writing by Riley Liang Editing by Harry Huo)
For any questions, please contact us by inquiry@fwenergy.com or +86-351-7219322.