Colombia’s coal output in 2010 missed the government’s production target as unusually heavy rains in the last months of the year hampered production at some of the country’s largest mines.
Coal output in 2010 stood at 74.35 million tons, a 2% increase from 2009 but below the government’s target of 80 million tons. Colombia’s total coal exports for 2010 came in at 68.14 million tons, mining regulator Ingeominas said Thursday.
Cerrejon, a joint venture equally owned by BHP Billiton PLC (BBL, BLT.LN), Anglo American PLC (AAUKY, AAL.LN) and Xstrata PLC (XTA.LN), operates in the province of La Guajira, where output ended 2010 at 31.1 million tons, Ingeominas said. The figure is slightly lower than the 31.4 million tons of coals produced in La Guajira in 2009.
In the province of Cesar, where Drummond Co. of Alabama and Glencore International AG’s Prodeco operate, production was 36 million tons, higher than the 34.05 million tons produced in 2009.
Carlos Rodado, Colombia’s mining minister, has said coal output will reach 144 million tons in 2020.