BHP has reported a 9.6% year-on-year drop in metallurgical coal output in the three months to September, a period during which fob Australia prices for premium hard coking coal fell amid Chinese import restrictions and weak demand outside of China.
The miner produced 9.35 million tonnes of met coal during the period, which also marked a 21% quarter-on-quarter drop, it said on Thursday October 17. BHP is maintaining its annual production guidance for the year ending June 30, 2020 at 41-45 million tonnes, with volumes weighted to the October-June period.Seaborne coking coal prices retreated during the September quarter after China's port authorities tightened their restrictions on imports in line with a...