Vedanta posts record metals production

LONDON (ShareCast) - India-focused miner Vedanta produced record volumes of aluminium, zinc and iron ore in the half year to September 30. The company produced 206,000 tonnes of aluminium during the period. Aluminium production in the quarter ended 30 September was 106,000 tonnes, a 7% increase over the corresponding prior quarter due to a 7,000 tonne contribution from the new Jharsuguda aluminium smelter. Refined zinc production was a record 249,000 tonnes in the half year, an increase of 33% compared with the corresponding prior period. Refined lead production rose by 11% to 30,000 tonnes. Iron ore output rose to a record 7.1m tonnes, an increase of 50%. However, copper production in India, Australia and Zambia was down, largely due to issues with machinery. Vedanta said work on 2,400 MW coal based thermal power plant at Jharsuguda was progressing well with the project is on schedule for progressive commissioning from late 2009. source: ShareCast