Labour crunch takes a bite out of Whitehaven production
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The tight labour market and operational constraints at the Maules Creek mine have seen coal miner Whitehaven Coal lower its production guidance for the 2023 financial year.
The ASX-listed miner on Wednesday said that managed run-of-mine (RoM) coal production was now expected to be between 18-million and 19.2-million tonnes, down from the previous guidance of between 19-million and 20.4-million tonnes, as production expectations at Maules Creek dropped to between 9.3-million and 9.8-million tonnes, down from the previous estimate of between 10.3-million and 11-million tonnes.
Whitehaven told shareholders that managed RoM production during the March quarter reached 4.3-million tonnes, which was below plan, with labour shortages felt across the business.
Several additional operational constraints at Maules Creek also meant production during the March quarter was only 9% higher than the December quarter, reflecting not only the labour constraints and congestion arising from limited dumping locations, but also intermittent weather interruptions during the month of March.
The miner is expected to deliver an uplift in production volumes during the June quarter, however, the lower-than-expected second-half production for the 2023 financial year, combined with lower stock levels, would result in some sales volumes being pushed into the 2024 financial year, Whitehaven said.
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