South32 cuts Australia manganese outlook following cyclone

The diversified miner SOUTH32 LTD has lowered its annual production outlook for its operations in Australia following significant weather disruptions. The company cited heavy wet-season rainfall and the impact of Tropical Cyclone Narelle as the primary factors behind the revision. In March, the cyclone forced a temporary suspension of activities at the Gemco manganese mine located in the Northern Territory. During the event, non-essential personnel were evacuated from the site to ensure safety. Consequently, the company now anticipates fiscal 2026 production for the Australian unit to reach 3 million wet metric tons (wmt), representing a decrease of more than 6% from its previous guidance. Despite the lowered forecast, the March quarter saw Australian manganese production reach 589,000 wmt. This figure stands in contrast to the same period in the previous year when there was no output due to a planned pause of the primary concentrator while stockpiles were being managed ahead of the wet season. Operations in South Africa reported a production increase to 500,000 wmt for the quarter, up from 476,000 wmt in the prior year, even as the site underwent scheduled maintenance. On a combined basis, South32's total manganese output reached 1.09 million wmt for the quarter. While this is a significant increase from the 476,000 wmt recorded a year earlier, it fell short of the 1.25 million wmt estimated by analysts according to Visible Alpha consensus.