Singapore 20/01/2016 - BHP Billiton’s total copper production fell six percent year-on-year to 762,000 tonnes in July-December, the first half of its 2016 fiscal year, the mining giant said in an operational review on Wednesday.
The company's copper production guidance for its financial year ending June 2016 remains unchanged at 1.5 million tonnes.
Production in the first half of its fiscal year fell due to a 25 percent grade decline at Escondida in Chile, which offset record material mined, improvements in truck availability and utilisation.
Production guidance for Escondida remains unchanged at around 940,000 tonnes for the 2016 financial year, as ramp-up of its Organic Growth Project 1 progresses ahead of plan and is expected to reach full capacity during the year, BHP said.
Copper production at Pampa Norte in Chile was broadly unchanged at 126,000 tonnes in July-December last year as record ore milled and higher grade underpinned record production at Spence and offset lower recoveries at Cerro Colorado.
Production at Pampa Norte for the 2016 financial year is expected to be ahead of the prior year despite a short period of industrial action at Cerro Colorado, said BHP.
Copper production at Olympic Dam in Australia increased by 37 percent year-on-year in the December half to a record 112,000 tonnes, reflecting record ore milled and improved smelter utilisation following planned maintenance in the prior period. Copper grade also increased by 35 percent in during the period. Olympic Dam copper production is on track to exceed 200,000 tonnes for the 2016 financial year.
Copper output at Antamina in Peru increased by 36 per cent to 72,000 tonnes during July-December as higher grades and recoveries were supported by record material mined and milled. Antamina’s copper production is forecast at 136,000 tonnes for the 2016 financial year.
Meanwhile BHP’s nickel production fell 23 percent year-on-year to 37,300 tonnes in the first half of its 2016 fiscal year due to planned major outages at Kalgoorlie smelter and Kwinana refinery in Australia during the December 2015 quarter, along with a reduction in third party ore delivered to the Kambalda concentrator.
BHP’s zinc production was at 37,051 tonnes in July-December, unchanged from the same period in the previous year.