By Zoey Yan

January 19, 2018 - The Global Coal Market News Summary (January 15-19) is as follows:

BHP Boosts Thermal Coal Output in H2 Last Year

BHP says it has produced more copper and thermal coal in July-December 2017, but its metallurgical coal volumes have dropped.

The global miner lifted copper production by 17% in the six months to December, compared to the prior first half, while iron ore volumes were flat and metallurgical coal volumes were down.

Australia's Whitehaven Coal Cuts Full-Year Output Guidance

Miner Whitehaven Coal on Thursday reduced its full-year guidance for saleable coal output after a decline in production from one of its main mines in the December quarter due to work to fix unstable roof conditions.

Coal output for fiscal 2018 is now expected at 20.5-21 million tonnes, on a 100 percent basis, down from a range of 22-23 million tonnes forecast in August, the company said in its quarterly report.

Rio Tinto Reaches Upper End of 2017 Thermal Coal Production Guidance

Global miner Rio Tinto hit the upper end of its 2017 thermal production guidance and has maintained its forecast for this year, the company said on January 16.

After the sale of its Coal & Allied business to Yancoal in September, Rio Tinto slashed its 2017 guidance from 17-18 million tonnes to 13 -14 million tonnes and finished the year with its share of production totaling 13.93 million tonnes, it said.

South32 Coking Coal Output Falls 43% in Q4 as Mine Outage Weighs

Mining group South32 Ltd said on January 17 its metallurgical coal output dropped 43% in October-December due to an outage at its Appin mine in Australia, while raising its full-year output forecast for South African manganese operations.

Production of coal used in steelmaking fell to 788,000 tonnes in the December quarter from 1.39 million tonnes a year earlier, but was still up 60% on the previous quarter and beat a UBS forecast of 746,000 tonnes, following a partial restart of the Appin mine in August.

POSCO Indonesia Plant Posts Profit After 4 Years of Operation

South Korean steelmaker POSCO said on January 15 its steel plant in Indonesia turned a profit after four years of operation, with accumulated sales exceeding 10 million tonnes.

PT Krakatau POSCO, an integrated steel mill jointly set up by POSCO and Indonesia's state-run steel firm Krakatau Steel, shifted to an operating profit of US$12 million last year after posting losses in the previous three years, POSCO said in a statement.

Polish Companies May Explore Commercial Coal Mining in India

Polish companies may explore opportunities at commercial coal mining in India if conditions are right, said a minister from the eastern European country here on Janurary 15.

A high-level Polish delegation comprising government officials and representatives of firms, chamber of commerce, financial and educational institutes has arrived in the city to participate in the state's two day business meet - Bengal Global Business Summit - starting on January 16.

China's Imports From North Korea Plummet in December, Lowest for Four Years

China's imports from North Korea plunged in December to their lowest level in dollar terms since at least the start of 2014, with trade curbed by U.N. sanctions aimed at persuading Pyongyang to abandon its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.

Imports from North Korea slumped 81.6% year on year to $54.34 million, Chinese customs spokesman Huang Songping said in a briefing in Beijing on January 12. That's the smallest monthly value since at least January 2014.