The National Mining Agency (NMA) of Colombia has reported that over H1 2014, the South American country’s coal production rose 14% year-on-year.
About 91% of this coal was exported overseas, the agency said.
Colombia, the largest coal producer in South America, produced 40.5 million t of coal in H1 2013.
The growth comes in the face of shutdowns at operations at Drummond and Colombian Natural Resources, as well as strikes at both Drummond and Cerrejon – the country’s biggest coal miners. Contract maintenance workers held a stoppage in July, while contract security workers staged a blockade of Cerrejon’s railway in both June and July.
Written by Sam Dodson
