South32 output flat at Hillside Aluminium, manganese down 7% amid load shedding impact

SOUTH32 reported steady saleable production at its Hillside Aluminium smelter for the quarter ended September 2025, despite ongoing load shedding by Eskom that continues to strain the operation.

- TAWANDA KAROMBO

IN MOZAMBIQUE, South32 continues to engage the government, Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), and Eskom on securing sufficient and affordable electricity for Mozal Aluminium. | SUPPLIED

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The diversified miner said on Tuesday that production at Hillside Aluminium unit was unchanged at 181 000 tons for the quarter. The company noted that the smelter “continued to test its maximum technical capacity, despite the impact of load shedding”

Full-year production guidance for Hillside Aluminium remains unchanged at 720 000 tons, although quarterly sales volumes declined 13% after a shipment was deferred to the December quarter.

Despite what South32 described as a strong start to the year, its manganese production from South Africa dropped from 593 000 wet metric tons in the previous quarter to 551 wet metric tons in the September quarter.