December is normally associated with celebrating achievements and chalking out action plans for the year ahead. But for Andrew Mackenzie, the chief executive officer of mining giant BHP Billiton Ltd, December was the culmination of an eventful journey as it shipped its one-billionth metric ton of iron ore to China.
While BHP's total petroleum production fell 1.0 percent to 120.4 million barrels of oil or equivalent (mmboe) in the half, the world's biggest mining company said its full year guidance remained unchanged at 250 mmboe. The company's iron ore production increased by a total of 19 percent in the December 2013 half year to a record 98 million tons.
BHP, the world's biggest miner, employs about 16,000 people in its iron ore division. Earlier this year, it said 170 jobs would go at its Whaleback mine in the Pilbara iron ore belt. A further 100 people have been let go at the division's Perth headquarters.
BHP is spearheading the drive by the multinational coal producers to increase production at lower prices - they are driving the oversupply we are seeing on global markets," said Andrew Vickers at the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union. The announcement comes at a time of growing momentum towards low-carbon power production to fight climate change.
