Jan 19 －Multinational miner BHP on Thursday kept its full-year production guidance unchanged for all commodities, except metallurgical coal, and said that it would achieve 6% volume growth in the 2018 financial year.

The miner reported higher iron-ore and copper production in the December quarter, increasing copper output by 20% year-on-year to 429 000 t and its iron-ore production by 3% year-on-year to 61.56-million tonnes.

December-quarter energy coal production also increased, while petroleum and metallurgical coal output slipped in the three months under review.

Total copper production rose by 17% in the December half-year to 833 000 t, owing to increased volumes from the Escondida mine, in Chile, and ramped up production from the mine’s Los Colorados Extension project. The strong half-year performance places the company on track to produce between 1.66-million tonnes and 1.79-million tonnes in the full year to the end of June 2018.