Australian coal miner Wesfarmers' thermal coal production totaled 1.97 million mt in the April-June quarter, up 22% year on year and 20% from the January-March quarter, the company said Tuesday in its quarterly results.
Production for the whole financial year that ended on June 30 was up 9% year on year at 7.24 million mt, it added.
Despite Tropical Cyclone Debbie, which made landfall in late March, affecting production at the Curragh mine in Queensland, Wesfarmers' overall thermal coal production showed a significant rise, it pointed out.
The mine produced 1.02 million mt of thermal coal in the April-June quarter, up 23% from a year earlier and 14% higher quarter on quarter, Wesfarmers said.
Total output from the mine, including thermal and metallurgical coal, was down 3% quarter on quarter but up 3% year on year.
At the Bengalla thermal coal mine in New South Wales, in which Wesfarmers has a 40% stake, production rose 22% year on year and 25% from the previous quarter to 959,000 mt over April-June.
Wesfarmers has said earlier that it was seeking expressions of interest for its stakes in both mines from potential buyers.
