BHP September quarter iron ore output flat, copper up

SYDNEY (Reuters) - BHP Billiton , the world's biggest miner, reported regular September quarter iron ore production and maintained its guidance for any five % improve in output in the steel-making ingredient this year. Output was 39.8 million tonnes against 39.6 million within the corresponding time period a year ago, it said in its quarterly activities report on Wednesday. Iron ore charges this month have rebounded to all-around $114 Vibrating screen for sale per tonne from $87 in September as Chinese steel mills restocked depleted inventories. This was encouraging BHP as well as other miners to keep up or broaden production, in keeping with analysts, however worries about demand in prime consumer China persist. Rival Rio Tinto on Tuesday mentioned it was sticking with its 2012 production target of 250 million tonnes after reporting September quarter output rose 5.six % from a year ago.

Analysts had predicted flat or somewhat lower quarter-on-quarter manufacturing figures from BHP following export figures from Port Hedland, used by BHP along with the globe No.four producer Fortescue Metals Group , showed a four % drop for that September quarter in the June quarter. Fortescue, which also runs mines inside the gold ore processing equipment Pilbara place of Australia's northwest, explained on Tuesday it's going to make a decision by December irrespective of whether to restart function on its Kings mine, which could nearly double its output in two years.

But the outlook is uncertain as China's annual financial growth likely slowed for any seventh straight quarter inside the July-September time period to the weakest since the depths of your international financial crisis, a Reuters poll showed. China releases its GDP figure on Thursday. Outside of iron ore, BHP said its technique of broad diversification in commodities was paying out off. "The release of latent capability and robust operating overall performance across our diversified portfolio continues to underpin sturdy growth in our substantial margin firms," it explained.

BHP, the world's No.2 copper producer, mentioned Granite crusher machine copper manufacturing during the quarter rose 24 % from a year ago, with its majority-owned Escondida mine in Chile headed to get a twenty % manufacturing enhance in fiscal 2013. Also, coal output rose by 20 percent in the course of the September 2012 quarter at its collieries jointly owned with Mitsubishi Corp.