Diversified miner Anglo American’s production for the third quarter ended September 30, increased by 4% year-on-year, driven by the continued successful ramp-up at the Minas-Rio iron-ore mine, in Brazil, and a strong performance at its metallurgical coal operations, CEO Mark Cutifani said on Tuesday.

Minas-Rio’s strong operational performance continued as iron-ore production reached 6.1-million tonnes in the third quarter.

The company now expects Minas-Rio to produce between 20-million and 22-million tonnes of iron-ore for the full-year, compared with the previously guided 19-million to 21-million tonnes.

Export metallurgical coal production, meanwhile, increased by 22% to 6.6-million tonnes in the third quarter owing to improved wash plant throughput and equipment efficiency, as well as the timing of longwall moves.

The metallurgical coal operations are still expected to produce between 22-million and 24-million tonnes for the full-year.

“We remain broadly on track to deliver within our full-year production targets, with an increase in production guidance at Minas-Rio.

“We expect to deliver to our production guidance for copper and thermal coal, albeit at the lower end of their ranges; with copper working to mitigate the effect of drought conditions in central Chile,” said Cutifani.

Thermal coal production for the full-year is now expected to reach only about 26-million tonnes, compared with the previously guided 26-million to 28-million tonnes, as a result of lower-than-expected output at the Cerrejon mine, in Colombia.

The mine’s output decreased by 23% year-on-year to 2.1-million tonnes of thermal coal in the third quarter as a result of weather-related impacts and weak market conditions.

Anglo’s South African thermal coal production decreased by 15% year-on-year to 4.3-million tonnes, as some sections of the operations reach the end of their life.

Meanwhile, Anglo’s copper production decreased by 8% to 158 900 t owing to unprecedented drought conditions impacting on the Los Bronces mine, in Chile, resulting in a 16% year-on-year decrease in the mine’s output to 80 400 t.

This was partially offset by a strong plant performance at the Collahuasi mine, in Chile, which increased its output by 5% year-on-year to 64 500 t.

Anglo now expects to produce 630 000 t to 650 000 t of copper for the full-year, compared with the previously guided 630 000 t to 660 000 t.

The miner warned that the severe drought conditions in Chile would likely remain a risk to copper production in 2020.

Meanwhile, the group’s manganese ore production increased by 3% year-on-year to 910 400 t, as higher production from South Africa was offset by lower output in Australia.

Manganese alloy production, however, decreased by 16% year-on-year to 29 200 t.