Antofagasta Again Lowers Forecast for Copper Output-Update
October 28 2015 - 8:30AM
Dow Jones News
(Adds detail, comment)
By Alex MacDonald
LONDON--Chilean copper producer Antofagasta PLC (ANTO.LN) has
again lowered its target for copper output this year, but kept its
goal for cash costs unchanged after reporting stable production in
the third quarter compared with the previous three months.
The FTSE-100 miner suffered a series of unexpected setbacks this
year ranging from protests at its flagship Los Pelambres mine to
unusually heavy rainfall that resulted in lower copper output from
its mines in the country's northern Atacama dessert. This, coupled
with the delayed ramp up of its Antucoya project due to equipment
issues, led the company to cut its original copper output guidance
of 710,000 metric tons twice before.
On Wednesday, the company lowered the guidance again to 635,000
tons from 665,000 tons most recently due to a minor pit-wall slide
at its Centinela cathode operations and delayed ramp-up at
Centinela concentrates operations.
This follows 157,000 metric tons of copper output in the third
quarter, on par with the second, as higher output from its Los
Pelambres mine and the commissioning of its Antucoya project more
than offset lower output from its Michilla and Centinela mines.
The $1.9 billion Antucoya mine in north Chile has produced 2,200
tons of copper cathode since starting production in September but
isn't forecast to reach commercial production until the first half
of 2016, according to the company.
Meanwhile gold output fell 17% on quarter to 45,700 troy ounces
while molybdenum production remained flat on quarter at 2,600 tons
in the third quarter.
Antofagasta's shares fell 3.3% to 526.5 pence a share as of 1133
GMT, while the FTSE 350 Mining index was down 1.1%.
The company's third quarter copper, gold and molybdebnum output
missed BMO Capital Markets' forecast by 11%, 30% and 28%
respectively.
On a positive note, the miner kept its full-year net cash cost
at $1.47 a pound. It had a net cash cost of $1.42 a pound in the
third quarter, down 11% from the second quarter largely due to
higher production at its flagship Los Pelambres mine, lower input
prices, particularly energy, and the impact of the weaker Chilean
peso against the dollar during the quarter.
The copper target cut "reflects what has been quite a difficult
year operationally for the company; however, BMO Research continues
to view Antofagasta as a well-run company with high-quality
assets," the bank said in a note.
Write to Alex MacDonald at alex.macdonald@wsj.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 28, 2015 08:15 ET (12:15 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2015 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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