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Australian metals miner South32 Limited updated investors on progress during the closing quarter of fiscal year 2019. Overall alumina production in the June quarter rose by 9%, with Worsley Alumina leading the charge with a 12% jump in production. South32 reported a 1% increase of production for the year at Worsley Alumina, ending the fiscal year with a total production of 3.79 million metric tons of alumina. An uplift in calciner availability prompted the 12% increase on the quarter, allowing the site to refine a total of 996 thousand metric tons of alumina.
Altogether, South32 refined 1,307 thousand metric tonnes in the June quarter, a 9% increase over the prior quarter. Aluminium production stood at 245 thousand metric tonnes, up by 1% on the quarter.
For the fiscal year, South32 refined 5,050 thousand metric tonnes of alumina and smelted 982 thousand metric tonnes of aluminium, with both totals remaining essentially flat from the prior year. Brazil Alumina refined 1,285 thousand metric tonnes, which was a 2% decline on the year. Meanwhile Hillside Aluminium smelted 720 thousand metric tonnes of aluminium and Mozal Aluminium smelted 269 thousand metric tonnes of aluminium, both totals representing a 1% reduction from the previous year.
South32 president Graham Kerr said that “We had a strong finish to the year, with revenue equivalent production growing 10% in the quarter and 3% for the year. We achieved record annual production at Hillside Aluminium, increased production at Illawarra Metallurgical Coal by 57% and delivered 5.5 million tonnes of manganese ore into a favourable market. We also continued to benefit from strong prices for our core commodities during the year, distributing AUD 657 million in dividends to shareholders and allocating AUD 281 million to our on-market buy-back. At year end we had completed AUD 986 million of our approved AUD 1 billion capital management program.”