Australian miner BHP Billiton has announced its production results for the first half ended December 31 of the financial year 2021-2022. The company’s iron ore production in the given period increased by one percent year on year to 129.4 million mt, reflecting strong supply chain performance and the continued ramp-up production at South Flank. This was partly offset by the impact of temporary rail labor shortages due to the coronavirus-related border restrictions.
BHP Billiton said that it expects its iron ore production to range between 249 million mt and 259 million mt for the 2022 financial year.
In the first half, BHP Billiton’s metallurgical coal production decreased by eight percent year on year to 17.7 million mt. Production is expected to be between 38 million mt and 41 million mt in the 2022 financial year, compared to the previous guidance of 39 million mt and 44 million mt. The revision is a result of significant La Niña-related wet weather impacts during the December 2021 quarter, coupled with the coronavirus-related labor constraints.
“Our continuing focus on people and on operational reliability enabled us to achieve near-record production in iron ore and to reduce the impacts of adverse weather and Covid-19-related labor constraints in our operations,” Mike Henry, BHP CEO, added.