Whitehaven lifts coal output 22% to 11.0 million tonnes as export disruptions weigh
Key Facts
Run-of-mine coal production from Whitehaven Coal's managed operations rose to 11.0 million tonnes in the September 2026 quarter, up 22% year on year, according to the production report the company released on 23 October 2026. Output also increased from the June quarter, giving the company a start to financial year 2027 with higher mined volumes on both a quarterly and annual basis. Production rose 3% from the previous quarter, according to the filing, compared with output of 10.7 million tonnes in the June quarter. The report covers the first quarter of financial year 2027, which ended in September 2026. The production increase coincided with a decline in quarterly sales, as disruptions at export terminals delayed the loading and sale of some shipments, the company said.
Whitehaven's equity share of sales of produced coal totalled 6.0 million tonnes in the September quarter, down 5% from the June quarter, according to the company's report. Whitehaven attributed the slower pace of sales to disruptions at the RG Tanna and PWCS export terminals. It said the disruptions slowed vessel loading, delaying some sales despite higher production over the same period. The sales delays were accompanied by an increase in inventories, an impact the company described as temporary in its quarterly performance presentation. Whitehaven expects the impact of delayed sales and increased inventories to unwind during the December quarter, with some deferred shipments moving into that period.
On pricing, the average realised selling price was A$226 per tonne in the September quarter, according to Whitehaven's quarterly filing. That represented an increase of 2% from the June quarter, alongside a decline in sales volumes attributable to the company's equity share. On costs, Whitehaven said coal costs during the quarter came in at the lower end of its annual guidance range. That range is A$132 to A$147 per tonne for financial year 2027, according to the report, which placed quarterly cost performance within that guidance. Net debt at the end of September stood at about A$1.4 billion, compared with about A$1.3 billion at the end of June 2026, according to the company's reports for the two periods.
The September-quarter performance follows a financial year in which Whitehaven's revenue fell to A$5.4 billion, according to its financial year 2026 results announcement. Annual revenue declined 7%, in a period when the company attributed pressure on its results to prices and the exchange rate. Whitehaven said in the results announcement that those pressures reflected "cyclical price weakness and the impact of a stronger Australian dollar". Guidance for run-of-mine coal production from managed operations for financial year 2027 is between 38.0 and 41.0 million tonnes, according to the annual results announcement. That range applies to the financial year that began with the September quarter, while the revenue decline and price and currency pressures relate to the previous financial year.
In its upcoming schedule, Whitehaven has set 5 November 2026 for its annual general meeting, according to the company's published financial calendar. That will be followed by the release of its December-quarter production report on 28 January 2027, according to the same calendar. The next report covers the period during which the company expects the temporary impact of delayed shipments and higher inventories to unwind. On acquisition obligations, the company's final deferred payment is US$100 million, according to its annual results announcement. The payment falls due in early April 2027, after the scheduled publication of the December-quarter production report.