Anglo American has delivered a strong rebound in manganese production for the June quarter, with output more than doubling as its Australian operations returned to full capacity following a tropical cyclone.
The mining giant produced 745,600 tonnes of manganese over the quarter, a 109 per cent increase compared to the March quarter.
The sharp uptick followed the restart of operations at its northern Australian manganese mines, which were temporarily suspended due to a tropical cyclone earlier in the year.
The recovery marks a key operational milestone for Anglo as the company reshapes its asset base through wider portfolio simplification.
“We continue to progress with our portfolio simplification as we reshape our business for the longer term,” Anglo American chief executive Duncan Wanblad said.
“The demerger of Valterra Platinum at the end of May has been a great success with considerable value unlocked for shareholders, and we are continuing to progress the nickel and steelmaking coal transactions.”
While the manganese rebound was a standout, Anglo also reported solid results from its copper and iron ore divisions. Copper production for the June quarter came in at 173,300 tonnes, a three per cent increase from the previous quarter, driven by stronger output from the Quellaveco and Los Bronces operations.
“In copper, we benefited from strong performance at both Quellaveco and Los Bronces, while Collahuasi improved from its first quarter,” Wanblad said.
Anglo’s iron ore production rose two per cent to 15.9 million tonnes, supported by improved performance at Minas-Rio in Brazil.
Both the copper and iron ore businesses remain on track to meet full-year production guidance, with copper expected to deliver between 690,000–750,000 tonnes and iron ore 57–61 million tonnes.
Despite broader restructuring across its portfolio, including the planned sales of De Beers, nickel and steelmaking coal assets, Anglo made considerable progress at Moranbah and expects a full restart in due course after a fire hit the mine in March.
“A formal process for the sale of De Beers is advancing, despite the current challenging market conditions,” Wanblad said.
“Looking beyond this transitionary year, we will emerge as a highly differentiated, higher margin and more cash generative business setting us up to deliver the outstanding potential of our world class assets and resource endowments.”