Xstrata Plc, the biggest coking coal producer in the world, announced on Jul 26 that its coking coal output in Australia amounted to 3.8 million tonnes in the first half of this year, rising 72.73% from a year earlier.

The increased coal output is mainly attributed to the inclusion of longwall operations at Oaky No.1, which had not been fully operational in the previous period, and increased productivity at Oaky North, while its semi-soft coking coal production came to 3.9 million tonnes, increasing by 50 percent compared to the corresponding period of 2009.

Meanwhile, Xstrata's average received export price for Australian coking coal stood at $193.7/t in the first half of 2010, FOB, rising by 35.84 percent, while the average export price for Australian semi-soft coking coal came to $123.1/t, down 27.5 percent year on year.