By analyst
Mining giant Rio Tinto (LON, ASX:RIO) has scaled back its annual targets for Australian iron ore shipments and steelmaking coking-coal production this year as bad weather and ongoing work to modernize its rail lines have hit operations.
Rio said it would export 330m tonnes of iron ore in 2017, rather than 330m-340m tonnes previously expected, citing bad weather and ongoing work to modernize its rail lines.
Iron ore exports from Australia’s west coast are now expected to be about 330 million tonnes in 2017, the bottom of a previous target of up to 340 million for the year, Rio said Tuesday.
The miner also revised down its expected share of hard coking coal for the year to between 7.2 to 7.8 million tonnes from 7.8 to 8.4mt. The world’s second largest miner said production of the commodity fell 14% in the second quarter after Cyclone Debbie swept across eastern Australia in March, bringing heavy rains and flooding.
Rio maintained production guidance for most of its other commodities, including for copper, which was scaled back in April following a historically long 43-day miners’ strike at its jointly-owned Escondida copper mine in Chile.
Overall output for copper, said Rio, fell 21% in the first half of the year, but the miner still expects to produce between 500,000 and 550,000 tonnes this year.
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Source:: Infomine
The post Rio Tinto axes iron ore export forecast for the year appeared first on Junior Mining Analyst.