London-listed Kenmare Resources expects the production of all its finished products to be lower in the 2020 financial year than in the 2019 financial year, primarily owing to the wet concentrator plant (WCP) B at its Moma titanium minerals mine, in Mozambique, mining lower-grade ore and being due for relocation soon.

The plant is approaching the end of its current mine path at Namalope and will cease production for up to 12 weeks while it is relocated from Namalope to Pilivili, in the third quarter of the financial year ending December 31, 2020.

However, the company confirmed that production would, in the meantime, benefit from the operation of its WCP C plant.

Following the WCP B’s relocation to Pilivili, higher-grade ore would be mined, starting in the fourth quarter of this year, the company confirmed in a statement on Thursday.

WCP B accounts for about 40% of Moma’s mining capacity and Pilivili is the highest-grade ore zone in Moma’s portfolio. As a result, the company expects the fourth quarter to be its strongest production quarter for the year.

Meanwhile, in addition to paying its maiden dividend in the fourth quarter of last year, Kenmare met its 2019 yearly guidance for all its products, except zircon, which was 1% out.

The company excavated a record 36.8-million tonnes of ore in the 2019 financial year, representing a fourth consecutive year of increases.

Heavy mineral concentrate production was 12% lower year-on-year, at 1.2-million tonnes, owing to anticipated lower ore grades.

Kenmare in the reporting year produced 892 000 t of ilmenite, which was 7% lower year-on-year.

Primary zircon production was 46 900 t in the year under review, compared with 48 400 t in the prior year.

Kenmare produced 8 300 t of rutile in the reporting year, compared with 8 200 t in the prior year.

Additionally, concentrates production of 40 200 t in the 2019 financial year was 43% higher than the 28 200 t produced in the 2018 financial year.

Kenmare recorded 4% lower year-on-year shipments of finished products at 1.02-million tonnes.

However, the fourth quarter alone saw record shipments of 352 900 t, which was an increase of 23% compared with the fourth quarter of the 2018 financial year, during which 286 300 t were shipped.

Shipment volumes were expected to be higher than production volumes in the 2020 financial year, but lower than the 2019 financial year.

The company had set its 2020 financial year guidance at between 800 000 t and 900 000 t for ilmenite, with a production target of 1.2-million tonnes ilmenite set for 2021.