BHP Billiton has reaffirmed its full-year production guidance for all its commodities despite posting softer quarterly production for iron ore and copper.
The resources giant said it produced 64 million tonnes of iron ore at its Western Australian operations in the three months to September 30, down four per cent from a year earlier, with its share dropping three per cent to 56 million tonnes.
UBS had forecast total production of 63.6 million tonnes.
The miner said record production at the Jimblebar operations was offset by the impact of lower stockpile levels following a fire at the Mt Whaleback screening plant in June, and planned maintenance in the September quarter.
Petroleum production was also eight per cent lower at 50 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe) with its US assets impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
BHP, which in August declared its troubled US shale assets as "non-core" and announced it was actively pursuing options to exit them, on Wednesday said it increased drilling rigs at the onshore assets from five to nine.
Copper output jumped 14 per cent in the quarter to 404,000 tonnes, helped by improved production at the Escondida operations in Chile and higher average copper grade and throughput.
BHP chief executive Andrew Mackenzie said the performance in the first quarter would keep the company on track for its full-year volume growth target.
"Our transition to lower-cost, high-return, latent capacity projects is delivering results, with first copper production achieved from the Los Colorados extension project at Escondida and Olympic Dam's southern mining area during the quarter," he said.
RBC Capital Markets' mining analyst Paul Hissey said the September quarter result was solid for BHP with higher copper output helping to offset lower iron ore volumes out of the Pilbara.
By 1025 AEDT, BHP Billiton shares were down 1.03 per cent to $27.03 on a flat Australian stock market.
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