Australian mining giant Anglo American Corporation has announced its production results for the first quarter ended on March 31, 2012.
The iron ore output of Anglo American increased by 17 percent year on year in the given quarter to 11.7 million mt due to the ramp-up of production from Kolomela mine and a continued improvement in performance at Amapá. Kolomela mine is expected to produce between 4 and 5 million mt in 2012, ramping up to annual capacity of 9 million mt in 2013.
Meanwhile, in the first quarter of the current year, Anglo American's metallurgical coal production increased by 73 percent year on year to 3.7 million following a reduction in weather-related stoppages due to the initiatives implemented during 2011 to mitigate rain impacts. Meanwhile, the company's thermal coal production from South Africa and Colombia increased by six percent to 8.2 million mt, on year-on-year basis.
Anglo American also reported a two-fold increase in its nickel production for the first quarter. The company's nickel output increased to 12,000 mt due to the delivery of 6,600 mt of nickel from the Barro Alto project in Brazil, which was operating at 70 percent of its capacity during the given quarter.