UK-based mining giant Anglo American has announced that it produced 16.9 million mt of iron ore in the third quarter of 2021, increasing by 15 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year. In the January-September period this year, the company produced 48.7 million mt of iron ore, up by seven percent year on year.
In the third quarter, the company’s iron ore production at Kumba increased by 11 percent year on year to 10.8 million mt. While production at Sishen increased by 14 percent to 7.5 million mt, production at Kolomela increased by six percent to 3.3 million mt. In the given quarter, total iron ore sales from the Kumba mine decreased by 10 percent year on year to 10.0 million mt, due to unplanned maintenance and weather-related delays at Saldanha port.
Regarding its Brazilian iron ore project Minas Rio, Anglo American said that the iron ore output amounted to 6.1 million mt in the third quarter, up 22 percent year on year.
Besides, Anglo American’s metallurgical coal production amounted to 4.3 million mt in the third quarter, falling by 11 percent year on year, due to operations at Moranbah being impacted by challenging geological conditions for most of the quarter. This was partly offset by Dawson and Capcoal increasing production levels after having scaled back production volumes since mid-2020 in response to reduced demand for their particular products.
Anglo American’s iron ore production guidance for 2021 has been tightened to 64.5 million mt, compared to a range of 64.5-66.5 million mt in the previous guidance, including 40.5 million mt at the Kumba mine and 24 million mt at the Minas Rio project.