JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The energy coal produced by Glencore in South Africa in the first three months of this year was up on the first quarter of last year, the London- and Johannesburg-listed mining and marketing company reported on Wednesday.

This year’s 5% higher 4.2-million tonnes was put down to improved fleet performance plus the start of additional stockpile reclamation activities.

Glencore’s overall first-quarter energy coal production of 23.4-million tonnes was 7% lower, however, reflecting the scheduled closure of two mines in Australia.

Also down 7% was Glencore’s attributable South African ferrochrome production of 277 000 t, which follows persistent pressure on smelting conversion margins. Amid the ongoing review of smelting sustainability, the energy-efficient Lion smelter in Mpumalanga will continue to operate, while the Boshoek smelter in North West will be indefinitely suspended from May and the Wonderkop smelter, also in the North West, will follow suit from June, pending any recovery in the ferrochrome market.

Except for a 5% energy coal volume reduction at Cerrejón, Colombia, in support of market rebalancing, all-inclusive full year 2025 production guidance remains unchanged.

Own-sourced first-quarter copper production was a 30%-lower 167 900 t and own-sourced cobalt production a 44%-higher 9 500 t.

“While copper had a slow start to the year, the first quarter is expected to be the lowest quarter, and a significantly stronger performance is anticipated over the remainder of 2025,” Glencore CEO Gary Nagle stated in a media release to Mining Weekly.

In Chile, the Collahuasi copper operation is expected to deliver on guidance, following the completion of the planned reorientation of the pit, along with additional trucks and improved water availability.

In Peru, the planned initially higher strip ratio at the Antapaccay copper operation is forecast to reduce progressively through the year, uplifting second-half volumes.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the transition at Kamoto Copper Company of plant feed from predominately ore stocks to run-of-mine feed, is expected to increase throughput rates and production over the balance of 2025.

“In coal, both steelmaking and energy coal volumes are tracking well,” said Nagle, while pointing out that the Elk Valley Resources steelmaking coal operations in Canada posted a strong 6.6-million tonnes, while energy coal production volumes were modestly lower year-over-year, accounting for the closures of Glendell and Integra. Total steelmaking coal production was 8.3-million tonnes.

First quarter zinc volumes were a 4%-higher 213 600 t, aided by stronger contributions from Antamina in Peru and Australian assets.

Marketing’s lower first-quarter is not expected to affect full-year earnings guidance range, which is set to come in at around the middle of the long-term $2.2-billion to $3.2-billion a year guidance range.

Nagle pointed out that since quarter-end, financial markets, including commodities, have been highly volatile and unpredictable, responding rapidly to US tariff news flow and uncertainty.

“In such an unpredictable environment, risk management has been a primary focus, noting the many complex supply chains we are exposed to, including the US, China, Europe and Canada.

“Despite the ‘noise’, primary commodity trade routes to date have not been meaningfully disrupted. However, owing to the various proposed and currently being implemented tariffs across commodity supply chains, it is likely that some physical trade flow re-orientation and dislocation will manifest over the coming months, which may present opportunities for our Marketing business,” Nagle added

Glencore, which employs 150 000-plus people in 30-plus countries, produces and markets more than 60 commodities.