PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Mineral sands miner Iluka has reported increases in production and revenue for the three months to March.
The company on Thursday reported that total zircon, rutile and synthetic rutile production increased by 8% during the quarter, compared with the December quarter, to 182 000 t.
Zircon production for the March quarter reached 110 900 t, while rutile production was reported at 67 800 t and synthetic rutile at 53 500 t.
Zircon production in the March quarter was higher than the December quarter results, largely owing to a full quarter of processing at the Narngulu mineral separation plant, in Western Australia.
The Jacinth-Ambrosia mine, in South Australia, also returned to maximum production in January this year, following the restart in December after a 24-month care-and-maintenance period.
The synthetic rutile kiln operation at Capel, also continued at full capacity, with preparations now under way for the planned maintenance outage in the first quarter of 2019.
Meanwhile, mining was completed at the Tutunup South mine, in Western Australia, as planned, in early March, with the reserve now depleted.
During the quarter under review, Iluka reported a total zircon, rutile and synthetic rutile sale of 203 000 t, generating revenues of A$204.3-million. Along with funds generated from ilmenite sales and other revenue streams, revenue for the quarter increased to A$218.5-million.