Australian miner BHP Billiton has announced its
production results for the financial year ended June 30, 2014, achieving a fourteenth consecutive annual record at its Western Australian
iron ore operations with an
iron ore output of 225 million mt, supported by the early commissioning of Jimblebar and the company's productivity agenda, which raised the capacity of the integrated supply chain.
According to BHP Billiton, Western Australian
iron ore production is expected to increase by a further 20 million mt to approximately 245 million mt. The company said that a low-cost option to expand Jimblebar to 55 million mt per year and broader debottlenecking of the supply chain are expected to underpin further growth in capacity towards 270 million mt per year.
In the financial year 2013-14, BHP's metallurgical coal
production increased by 20 percent year on year to 45 million mt, exceeding the full year guidance. The company expects to increase metallurgical coal
production in the financial year 2014-15 to 47 million mt as the ramp-up of Caval Ridge is completed.