Vedanta’s zinc segment in India produced 202,000mt of mined zinc in Q1, down 5pc from the prior year. Refined zinc production dipped 8pc to 157,000mt in Q1 from the previous year. Refined lead production decreased by 7pc to 44,000mt from the preceding year. Aluminium production rose by 7pc to 476,000mt in Q1.
Total mined metal production for Q1FY2021 was 202,000mt, down 5pc from the prior year quarter and 19pc down from preceding quarters. Production dipped due to fewer days of production in April and lower workforce availability on COVID-19. Mine plan and mix shift resulted in flat ore grades from the prior year.
Integrated metal production was 202,000mt in Q1, down by 8pc from the prior year quarter and 9pc declined from the prior quarter. In Q1, integrated zinc production was 157,000mt, down 8pc from the prior year and integrated lead production was down by 7pc at 44,000mt from the prior year.
International zinc segment’s refined zinc production dropped 96pc to 1,000mt and mined zinc was down 36pc to 12,000mt from the prior year. Skorpion produced 700mt in Q1 as compared to 18,000mt in the prior year. In May 2019, Skorpion experienced a major open pit failure which resulted in an ore gap of four months lowering output.
BMM produced 12,000mt in Q1, 37pc down with substantially lower lead grades. Gamsberg’s production was 25,000mt in Q1, up 11pc compared to prior year quarter on higher throughput and zinc grades and was lower 15pc as compared to prior quarter mainly due to impact of COVID-19 related lockdown and lower throughput and recoveries.
Copper cathode production was up 4pc to 17,000mt in Q1 from the prior year. Smelting operations at Tuticorin have been halted since April 2018. Aluminium production rose by 7pc to 476,000mt in Q1 from the year prior. The company’s finished steel production was at 267,000mt, down 17pc from the prior year.
Projects
The company’s Rampura Agucha shaft is completed. Sindesar Khurd production shaft was also ramped up post its commissioning in the end of FY2019. Smelter de-bottlenecking to expand annual capacity to 1.13mt was completed during the quarter. Fumer project at Chanderiya are ready for commissioning, said the company release.