Jan 17 (Reuters) - Mining group South32 Ltd S32.AX on Thursday said its second-quarter metallurgical coal output nearly doubled from the same period a year ago, boosted by strong production at its Illawarra project.
Production of coking or metallurgical coal, which is a key steel-making ingredient, rose to about 1.6 million tonnes in the December quarter from 788,000 tonnes a year earlier. The figure was substantially higher than a Citi estimate of 804,000 tonnes.