The equity raw coal production of Australian miner Whitehaven Coal Ltd. totaled 3.53 million tonnes during January-March 2024, rising 2.9% from 3.43 million tonnes a year earlier, the company announced on April 19.
The volume, however, was 11.8% lower than the quarter-ago level of 4.00 million tonnes.
Equity salable coal output reached 3.14 million tonnes during the same period, up 4.8% on the year but down 6.4% quarter on quarter.
The quarterly output decline was mainly ascribed to ongoing shutdowns due to geological challenges and equipment reliability issues at Narrabri mines, though open-pit mines in Maules Creek and Gunnedah remained normal production.
The company's equity coal sales over the same period fell 7.3% on the year and 16% on the quarter to 3.12 million tonnes. The average selling price was A$219/t ($139/t), much lower than A$400/t a year ago yet slightly higher than A$216/t in the preceding quarter.
The selling price of thermal coal amounted to $136/t, while that of metallurgical coal reached $213/t.
In the first nine months of the ongoing fiscal year (July 2023-March 2024), the equity raw coal output of Whitehaven Coal stood at 11.79 million tonnes, up 12.5% year on year, while the equity saleable coal production rose 4.4% to 10.05 million tonnes.
The company's equity coal sales increased 21.8% from the previous year to 9.91 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 expected to be 12.7-13.9 million tonnes.
(Writing by yan.sun Editing by Harry Huo)
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