CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - South32 Ltd. (SOUHY.PK, SHTLF.PK), the Australian mining and metals company, reported a 3% increase in alumina production in the December 2025 half year. This was driven by record output at Brazil Alumina and steady volumes at Worsley Alumina, which successfully completed scheduled calciner maintenance.
Aluminium production rose by 2% during the same period, supported by Hillside Aluminium testing its maximum technical capacity. Meanwhile, Mozal Aluminium ceased pot relining ahead of its planned transition to care and maintenance from March 2026.
Sierra Gorda continued to perform ahead of FY26 guidance, delivering copper production in line with expectations and strong first half volumes of molybdenum, gold, and silver. The company also received distributions of US$180 million (South32 share) from Sierra Gorda in the first half.
At Cannington, payable zinc equivalent production increased by 13% in the December 2025 quarter, as the operation exceeded planned processing rates and benefited from higher silver and zinc grades in accordance with the mine plan. Manganese production surged by 58% in the December 2025 half year, with Australia Manganese returning to normalized production rates and South Africa Manganese completing planned maintenance.
Fiscal year 2026 production guidance remains unchanged for all operated assets. However, guidance for non-operated Brazil Aluminium is under review as South32 awaits the operator's revised ramp-up profile following lower than planned quarterly volumes.
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