On April 23, mining company Anglo American released its quarterly operating report, indicating that from January to March this year, the company’s metallurgical coal production totaled 3.78 million tons, up 7% year-on-year but down 20.5% quarter-on-quarter.
　　Among these, hard coking coal production reached 2.921 million tons, up 2.8% year-on-year but down 23.2% month-on-month; pulverized coal injection and semi-soft coking coal production totaled 859,000 tons, up 24.3% year-on-year but down 9.8% month-on-month; and exported thermal coal production stood at 324,000 tons, up 14% year-on-year and surging by a factor of 8.5 month-on-month.
　　In its quarterly report, Anglo American stated that metallurgical coal production increased in the first quarter, primarily due to the Aquila underground mine entering a longwall mining phase and improved operational efficiency at the Capcoal open-pit mine. However, this increase in coal production was offset by constraints on production at the Dawson open-pit mine and the impact of geological conditions at the Moranbah coal mine.
　　The quarterly report shows that in the first quarter, the company’s metallurgical coal sales totaled 3.827 million tons, up 14.8% year-on-year and slightly up 0.8% quarter-on-quarter. Among these, hard coking coal sales reached 2.974 million tons, up 10.2% year-on-year but down slightly by 0.4% quarter-on-quarter; sales of pulverized coal for injection and semi-soft coking coal amounted to 853,000 tons, up 34.3% year-on-year and up 5.6% quarter-on-quarter; and exports of thermal coal totaled 429,000 tons, up 6.7% year-on-year but down 13.2% quarter-on-quarter.
　　Anglo American stated that for the full year 2024, the company’s coal production target is 15 to 17 million tons, with an estimated unit cost of US$115 per ton. According to the announcement, planned longwall face moves will be carried out at the Morumbi Coal Mine and the Grosvenor Coal Mine in the third quarter of this year.
　　According to the announcement, in the first quarter of this year, Anglo American’s iron ore production reached 15.143 million wet metric tons, representing a slight year-on-year increase of 0.4% and a quarter-on-quarter rise of 9.7%. Iron ore sales totaled 12.997 million wet metric tons, down 10.6% year-on-year and falling by 20.8% quarter-on-quarter. The company’s full-year iron ore production target is between 58 million and 62 million wet metric tons.
　　During the same period, the company’s copper production reached 198,000 tons, representing an 11% year-on-year increase but a 14% month-on-month decrease. The company’s full-year production target is 730,000 to 790,000 tons.