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For the December quarter the mine produced 868,000t and sales for 2005 were 2.91Mt, up 9.7% on 2004.
“Based on its performance, we have set a 3 million tonne production and sales target for the current year, though there is capacity to accommodate higher production levels,” Straits chief Milan Jerkovic said.
Straits said Sebuka’s coal mining contractor BUMA performed strongly in the second half of the year by improving equipment utilisation as well as providing additional fleets of mining equipment.
Straits said installed capacity was believed to be more than adequate to meet the 3Mtpa target for 2006.
As in 2005, the effects of the wet season will be mitigated by opening up low strip ratio satellite pits as an emergency supply in the event of high rainfall.
“Ongoing exploration has been very promising, focusing on nearby deposits to extend the life of mine beyond its current seven to eight years. As such, we expect to announce a new resource and reserve in the current quarter.
“The exploration program is expected to continue for another twelve months
to determine the full extent of available coal resources for Sebuka,” Jerkovic said.
Straits also owns and operates the Tritton copper mine in New South Wales, the Whim Creek copper mine in Western Australia and the Mt Munro gold mine in Indonesia.
