Xstrata announces boost in coal production

01 February, 2012 The company produced 85.3 million tonnes of coal but copper fell by 3%.

Mining giant Xstrata has announced that its coal production was up by seven per cent for the past 12 months.

The company saw record output levels of thermal coal in Australia for 2011 but saw a three per cent drop in copper production. Its new Mangoola mine in the southern hemisphere country recovered well despite flooding at the beginning of 2011.

In the past 12 months Xstrata produced 85.3 million tonnes of coal accounting for 70 per cent of all the company's profits.

Xstrata is just one of a number of mining companies that have posted positive figures. Atlantic Coal also announced that it could double its production following the acquisition of a 410-acre anthracite site in Pennsylvania.

Analysts at Deutsche Bank said: "Xstrata's 2011 production was impacted by massive rain events, seismic events, industrial action, equipment issues and lower grades. Lower grades at a number of the copper and zinc operations impacted production levels, but these will be corrected with project delivery over the near to medium term."

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