BNamericas reported that the copper output of multinational resource giant Anglo American increased 13.4% YoY in the Q3 to 168,500 tonnes thanks to higher throughput and recoveries at the Los Bronces mine in Chile, coupled with better grades and recoveries at the compatriot Collahuasi mine.
The company said that Anglo American's 44% owned Collahuasi was also able to resolve pipeline and port filter plant constraints and achieve higher stability in its concentrator operations and better SAG mill utilization. Meanwhile at Los Bronces, Anglo American said that it encountered softer ore in Q3 which also contributed to the higher overall output. It said that in nickel, the failure of a furnace at the company's Loma de Níquel mine in Venezuela triggered a 12.5% YoY decline in Q3 output to 4,900 tonnes.
As for iron ore, Anglo American reported a 15.7% rise to 11.9 millio0n tonne thanks to more output from the Sishen mine in South Africa. In Latin America the company owns 69.2% of the Amapá system and the Minas Rio project in Brazil.
Regarding thermal coal from South America, Anglo American felt a 7.4% drop to 2.84 million tonne. The London headquartered company said that production at Venezuela's Carbones Del Guasare continues to be adversely impacted by operational, foreign exchange and labor related issues."
