[Ferro-Alloys.com]Diversified mining company Anglo American has produced fewer diamonds and less copper, coal, manganese alloy and niobium in the three months to March 31. Diamond production fell by 10%, copper production by 19%, export thermal coal by 13%, export metallurgical coal by 9%, Eskom coal by 8% and niobium by 13%. Refined platinum production nose dived by 52% and manganese alloy production by 56%, with Kumba Iron Ore’s output dropping 27%.

Anglo American CEO Mark Cutifani said the operating results reflected the major restructuring programme under way as well as ongoing efficiency and cost drives. “They also demonstrate market discipline,” Cutifani added in a media release to Creamer Media’s Mining Weekly Online. Diamond production decreased to 6.9 million carats; copper sales to 137 500 t, export thermal coal to 7.7-million tonnes and export metallurgical coal to 4.5-million tonnes. Production at Cerrejón in Colombia fell to 2.6-million tonnes and to four-million tonnes in South Africa on a change in the mix to higher margin domestic sales at Landau. Unfavourable geology lowered Goedehoop production as did power outage issues at Greenside. A planned longwall move at New Denmark and planned production cuts at Kriel resulted in Eskom receiving a lower 6.4-million tonnes. Full-year production guidance for export thermal coal from South Africa and Colombia is unchanged at up to 30-million tonnes, with up to 22-million tonnes forecast for export metallurgical coal. In South Africa, production at De Beers Consolidated Mines fell 12% to 0.9-million carats; in Botswana, production at Debswana fell 5% to 5.3-million carats; in Namibia, production at Namdeb fell 4% to 0.4-million carats; and in Canada, the Snap Lake closure saw production plummet 68% to 0.2-million carats. Nickel production soared 67% to 11 200 t, iron-ore production from Minas-Rio in Brazil increased by 3% to 3.3 million, phosphate concentrate production rose by 4%, fertiliser production was up 15% and phosphoric acid production climbed 25%. 

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• [Editor:Sophie]