SOUTH32 reported record quarterly manganese ore production from its South African mines, but said sales were kept lower ahead of a planned shutdown.
Saleable production increased 12% to a record 668,000 wet metric tons in the quarter, South32’s first of its 2022 financial year. Including production from its Australian operations, the group’s first quarter manganese output totalled 1.57 million tons (Mt), a 7% year on year increase.
The increase in South African ore production was owing to higher volumes of premium material from the Mamatwan mine, situated in the Northern Cape province, it said.
However, full year production guidance was kept at 2.2Mt. This was in line with expected market conditions and down to the fact South32 was trucking some of its ore at a higher cost than rail where utilisation was constrained by problems at Transnet, the state-owned freight company.
Manganese ore sales decreased 11% in the September quarter as per the caution ahead of the annual shutdown.
Other operational highlights were lower base metals production owing to power outages at its Cerro Matoso nickel operations in Colombia and lower grade slopes at Cannington, its zinc mine in Australia.
It has been a busy 2021 for the Perth- and Johannesburg-listed diversified mining group, especially on the corporate front as it made strides in further transforming itself.
It sold its thermal coal mines in South Africa, extended its exposure to Mozal aluminium, and earlier this month announced the...
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