April 22 (Reuters) – BHP Group on Wednesday said its third-quarter iron ore production rose 3%, as a strong performance at its Western Australia operations outweighed impacts from tropical cyclones, while the miner maintained its outlook for the full year.
Two tropical cyclones in February and March disrupted operations at Port Hedland, the world’s largest iron ore export hub in Western Australia, affecting shipments of the key steel-making commodity.
The world’s largest listed miner said iron ore output from its Western Australia mine operations on a 100% basis was 69.8 million metric tons in the quarter ended March 31, higher than the Visible Alpha estimate of 68.9 million tons.
This compares to 67.8 million tons last year.
However, realised prices for the steelmaking ingredient fell 2% to $85.35 per wet metric tonne for the three months.
Fiscal 2026 iron ore production guidance from Western Australia operations on a 100% basis remains unchanged at 284 million tons to 296 million tons, the company said.
On the other hand, quarterly copper production slipped 7% to 476,800 tons, with weaker performance at Escondida and Pampa Norte operations.
BHP said it has concluded iron ore sales contract negotiations with the China Mineral Resources Group.
Earlier in the month, Reuters reported that CMRG, the state iron ore buyer, had lifted bans on procurement of the key steelmaking ingredient from BHP, ending a months-long dispute after a visit by the miner’s top executives.
“Our centralised procurement capability and our low-cost operations have positioned us advantageously in the face of industry-wide pressure on the cost of energy and consumables as a result of the conflict in the Middle East,” said outgoing Chief Executive Mike Henry.
BHP tapped senior executive Brandon Craig as its next CEO in March, ending Henry’s six-year tenure in the role.
Craig will step into the position on July 1.
(Reporting by Sneha Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
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