JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Copper miner Aditya Birla has again lowered its production guidance for the year to March 31, owing to difficulties experienced at its Nifty operation, in Western Australia.
Aditya Birla reported on Friday that its full-year production would be in the range of 12 700 t to 13 500 t of copper in concentrate. In January, the miner downgraded its guidance to between 13 000 t and 15 000 t, from an earlier estimate of between 16 000 t and 18 000 t.
The latest revision follows a combination of events at the Nifty mine in the current quarter, these being a failure of the SAG mill gearbox output shaft and the subsequent replacement of the motor and gearbox; a heavy rain even which caused minor flooding in certain parts of the underground mine; and a failure of the gas turbine voltage regulator and the related repair work.
Owing to the reduction in operational performance in the current year, Aditya Birla announced it would cease all exploration activities to mitigate additional cash outflow, while the Nifty operation was being ramped up.
Mining operations at the Nifty project resumed in July last year, after mining was suspended in March following the discovery of a sinkhole.