Like an Olympic swimmer aiming for a negative split, Antofagasta is relying on a strong second half to reach its full year production forecast after producing 323,300t copper in the 6 months to June. Even with production weighted to the second half, the Chilean copper giant expects to finish at the lower end of its 710,000-740,000t guidance for FY2016.
However, CEO Iván Arriagada says its focus on cost control, productivity and operational efficiencies improved H1 net cash costs by 17.6% to $US1.26/lb, building Antofagasta's confidence of meeting its revised target of $1.30/lb.