South32 raises Mn output in Australia, South Africa

Australia-based resources firm South32 achieved a production record at its Australian manganese ore operations in the nine months to 31 March and has raised the full-year guidance for its South African mines.

Output in Australia of 2.66mn t was 2pc higher than the previous July-March period with sales rising by 9pc to 2.73mn t, South32 said. Wet weather affected January-March output of 829,000t compared with 954,000t for October-December. Production guidance for the July 2020-June 2021 fiscal year is unchanged at 3.5mn t.

South African output of 1.67mn t was 11pc higher than the previous July-March, partly because of increased volumes of higher quality material from the Mamatwan mine and opportunistic use of higher cost trucking. Sales rose to 2.73mn t from 2.51mn t a year earlier. January-March output totalled 580,000t compared with 505,000 during October-December. Production guidance for 2020-21 has been increased by 10pc to 2.2mn t.

July-March output of 4.33mn t was 5pc higher than in the previous corresponding period across its Australian mining operations at Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria and its South African operations at Hotazel in the Kalahari manganese field.

South32, which has a 60:40 manganese mining partnership with UK-South African resources firm Anglo American, no longer produces any manganese alloys. It produced 51,000t in Australia during July-December but there was no production for January–March after the sale of its Temco smelter in Tasmania. No manganese alloys were produced during July-March at the Metalloys smelter in South Africa that remains on care and maintenance.

By Angus Macmillan