PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Coal production for New South Wales-focused Whitehaven Coal surged by 30% during the three months ended September, as its Narrabri mine set new quarterly records.
Managed run-of-mine (RoM) production for the quarter reached 3.4-million tonnes, up 30% on the previous corresponding period, while managed saleable coal production was up 40% to 3.2-million tonnes.
Whitehaven’s equity of RoM production increased by 28% to 2.67-million tonnes, while its equity of saleable coal production was up 38%, to 2.57-million tonnes.
The Narrabri mine delivered more than two-million tonnes RoM production and some 1.8-million tonnes saleable coal production, which was 53% and 59% higher respectively, than the September 2013 quarter.
Whitehaven said that longwall productivity and horizon control improved significantly at Narrabri, following an upgrade to the control systems and processes.
At the Tarrawonga opencut operation, Whitehaven produced 532 000 t RoM coal and 544 000 t of saleable coal. RoM coal production was consistent with the previous corresponding period, while saleable coal production was up 19%, as RoM coal stocks built in the June quarter were processed at the Gunnedah coal handling and preparation plant.
The Rocglen mine also produced about 286 000 t RoM coal and 222 000 t of saleable coal, while the Werris Creek operation delivered 561 000 t of RoM coal and 703 000 t saleable coal.
Meanwhile, total coal sales for the period were also up by 22% on the previous corresponding period, to 3.04-million tonnes, with export sales comprising 535 000 t of metallurgical coal and 2.48-million tonnes of thermal coal.
During the quarter under review, Whitehaven has also progressed the construction of its Maules Creek mine, which was scheduled to rail its first coal in the March quarter of next year.
The project was currently some 68% complete.
The $767-million Maules Creek operation was expected to extract some 13-million tons of coal a year.