Swiss mining giant Xstrata has had a good year and its record production figures for last year support that claim. CEO Mick Davis is naturally pleased with the results, with increased production in coking coal, semi-soft coking coal, nickel and refined nickel leading the way. The company also saw increases in mined copper, lead in concentrate and ferrochrome.
In the production report for Xstrata for the year ending December 2010 the group mentioned that the Goedgevonden thermal-coal mine in South Africa would be up to full capacity of 7 million tons a year in 2011. The Nickel Rim South mine in Sudbury would also reach its capacity of 1.25 million tonnes a year in October 2011. This is six months before scheduled.
The underground Blakefield South mine in Australia was commissioned by Xstrata Coal during the initial half of 2010. This mine has a production capacity of 4 million tons a year. Xstrata Copper has also finished construction of a magnetite plant at Ernest Henry mine. This is part of the Australian $ 589 million plan to transform it into a major underground copper gold mine.
The increased resource estimates at Frieda River copper project in Papua New Guinea, Las Bambas and Antapaccay in Peru, El Pachon in Argentina and Lomas Bays, Collahuasi and West Wall in Chille were also published by Xstrata Copper.
Xstrata is a global diversified mining group, listed on the London and Swiss Stock Exchanges.