South32, the world’s largest producer of manganese ore with assets in Australia and South Africa, has announced its ore and alloys production and sales results for the July-December period of 2019.
According to the company’s statement, in the July-December period South32 produced 2.813 million mt of manganese ore and 91,000 mt of manganese alloys, down three percent and 17 percent compared to the January-June period last year, respectively. The decline was a reaction to lower manganese prices in the reported period and also a result of maintenance works at South African facilities.
In the July-December period, the company’s South African manganese ore production declined by three percent compared to the first half of 2019 to 1,038 mt. This was as a result of maintenance at Wessels mine in the fourth quarter of 2019 in response to market conditions. In July-December, manganese alloy output in South Africa increased by three percent compared to the January-June percent to 34,000 mt, though alloy sales declined by 20 percent to 28,000 mt in the same period.
Manganese ore production by South32 in Australia decreased by two percent in the July-December period compared to the previous half-year to 1.775 million mt, mainly due to heavy rainfall in July and August. In the second half of the year, the company produced 57,000 mt of manganese alloys, down 25 percent from the January-June period, as one of the company’s four furnaces was idled.