Whitehaven reports higher production but lower coal sales after export disruptions

Whitehaven Coal’s 23 October report recorded 11.0 million tonnes of managed run-of-mine production in the September quarter, 3% more than the June quarter and 22% above the same quarter a year earlier. Its equity sales of produced coal were 6.0 million tonnes, down 5% quarter on quarter.

The company linked the sales decline to reduced vessel throughput at the RG Tanna and Port Waratah Coal Services export terminals. It said Queensland operations sold 2.8 million tonnes on an equity basis, down 12% from June, while New South Wales operations sold 3.2 million tonnes, up 2%.

Production was split evenly between the two state divisions on a managed basis: Queensland produced 5.5 million tonnes and New South Wales also produced 5.5 million tonnes. Whitehaven said Queensland sales were especially affected by terminal performance, while NSW sales also faced loading interruptions and vessel queues.

The average achieved coal price was A$226 a tonne, 2% above the June quarter. The report gave average achieved prices of A$257 a tonne for Queensland operations and A$198 a tonne for NSW. The figures cover different coal portfolios and should not be read as a single market price for all Australian coal.

Unit cost was at the low end of the company’s FY27 guidance range of A$132–147 a tonne. Whitehaven reported average diesel costs of about A$1.38 a litre during the quarter, above the A$1.16 midpoint assumption in its guidance. It also reported net debt of about A$1.4 billion at 30 September.

Whitehaven expects some sales slippage and the resulting inventory build to unwind in the December quarter as terminal operations normalize. That is the company’s outlook, not a completed recovery. FY27 guidance remained unchanged: managed production of 38–41 million tonnes, equity sales of 23.9–26.0 million tonnes and unit costs of A$132–147 a tonne.

Whitehaven linked lower equity produced-coal sales to disruptions at the RG Tanna and PWCS export terminals. The report therefore describes both mine production and constraints in moving product through port infrastructure. Its managed run-of-mine production is a gross operational measure, while equity sales reflect the company’s share of sales; the two quantities have different definitions and cannot be treated as directly interchangeable.

The reported average realised price of A$226 per tonne and unit cost guidance refer to different measures. The price is a realised quarter average, while A$132–147 per tonne is the company’s FY27 cost outlook and the quarter’s result sat at the lower end of that range. Net debt of A$1.4 billion is a balance-sheet position at quarter end, not an operating expense. Each measure helps describe a different part of the business.