MINING
South32 cranks up manganese production
The producer’s Australian manganese business hits a new output record
Diversified miner South32 produced 8% more manganese from its local mines in the six months to December than it previously forecast, enabling it to take advantage of favourable prices, it said on Wednesday. Other South African manganese miners are also pushing up production. According to Statistics SA figures this week, the country’s total manganese ore output in October rose 84.6% from a year ago. Apart from manganese, South32 produces thermal coal and aluminium from smelters in SA and Mozambique. It said recently it intended to spin off its South African energy coal business in 2018. It also operates in Australia, Brazil and Colombia. Its shares fell 1.24% to R37.31 on the JSE on Wednesday. South32’s 60% share of ore produced at the Northern Cape manganese mines rose 21% to 1.1-million wet metric tonnes in the half-year compared with the matching period in 2016. It has increased its forecast output for the full year to 2-million wet metric tonnes, subject to market demand. South A...
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