Xstrata Thermal-Coal Output Rises on New Mines; Copper Falls

Xstrata, the largest exporter of power-stadiamond mining equipment for saletion coal, said production of the fuel from Australia rose to a record last year after the Mangoola mine started and the Newlands underground project boosted capacity.

Xstrata produced 49.8 million metric tons of thermal and semi-soft coal in the country, a 12 percent gain on the previous year, the Zug, Switzerland-based company said today in a statement. Mined nickel volumes also climbed to a record, while copper output dropped 2.7 percent. “The fourth-quarter coal result repeated the strong performance of the third quarter with particularly good performance from the...