PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Coal miner Whitehaven Coal has revised its full-year production guidance, as mine scheduling is impacting on output from the Maules Creek mine, in New South Wales.
Run-of-mine coal production for the full year has been revised from the previous guidance range of 22-million to 23.2-million tonnes, to between 21.8-million and 22.8-million tonnes.
The Maules Creek forecast has been revised from between 11.8-million and 12.2-million tonnes, to between 11.6-million and 11.8-million tonnes, while production expectations at Narrabri have remained unchanged at between 5.6-million and 6-million tonnes, along with the production from the Gunnedah opencuts, which has remained unchanged at between 4.6-million and 5-million tonnes.
During the three months to March, Whitehaven produced just over 5-million tonnes of saleable coal, compared with the 5.2-million tonnes reported in the previous corresponding period, with coal sales reaching over 6-million tonnes, up 12% from the 5.4-million tonnes sold in the March quarter of 2018.
“Demand for high-quality coal in our four key markets of Japan, Korea, India and Taiwan remains strong, underpinning sales and our strategic growth agenda,” said Whitehaven MD and CEO Paul Flynn.
“Our Winchester South metallurgical coal project in the Bowen basin is a key plank in this agenda, with work continuing to advance the project.”
Flynn noted that costs continued to moderate through the second half of the financial year, with the prospect of in-pit dumping at Maules Creek starting in the 2020 financial year, with Whitehaven passing the peak of costs at its largest operation.