Australia’s BCC sells more coal in October-December

Australian coal miner Bowen Coking Coal (BCC) sold 544,000t of coal over October-December, up by 8pc from the same time last year.

BCC does not exclusively produce coking coal, despite its name. The company sold 261,000t of non-coking coal over the last three months, accounting for 48pc of its total sales.

BCC processes its coal at a handling and preparation plant attached to the Burton Mine Complex. The company used 92pc of the site's current available processing capacity over October-November.

BCC moves coal overseas through the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal. Exports from the coal hub have been volatile over recent months, growing by 8.8pc on the year in October, before plunging by 13pc on the year in November.

Chinese electricity producers bought 7.5mn t of thermal coal from Australian producers in November, 24pc more than the same period last year, in preparation for increased winter power demand.

Chinese steelmakers also started preparing to boost production in October, importing 1.3mn t of coking coal over the month, up from 425,000t a year earlier. The country's crude steel exports jumped by 16pc on the year in November.

By Avinash Govind