But story was different at its South Africa Energy Coal subsidiary, where higher wash-plant utilisation contributed to a 10% increase from the December 2013 half year which was affected by industrial action.
Production at NSW Energy Coal for the six months to December 2014 came to 9.3 million tonnes compared to 9.9Mt for the previous corresponding period.
In contrast, half yearly production in South Africa was higher at 16.5Mt compared to 14.9Mt in 2013.
Drought conditions constrained production volumes at Cerrejon in Colombia given the need to manage dust emissions, while Navajo Coal production declined following lower customer demand arising from the closure of three of the five power units at the Four Corners Power Plant in the US.
Overall, Energy Coal production decreased by 3% in the December 2014 half year to a total of 36Mt.
Guidance for the 2015 financial year remains unchanged at 73Mt.
