Anglo American, the mining and natural resources group, has reported production cuts of up to a third in key commodities as a result of power shortages in South Africa.

In the first quarter of this year, platinum production was down 24 per cent, palladium fell 25 per cent and coal was down 3.5 per cent.

South Africa has been facing a power crisis since the start of this year, when its electricity generator said that miners would have to cut their usage or face blackouts.

Anglo and other miners have had to reduce their energy consumption by about 10 per cent, which has been achieved through production cuts and efficiency gains. The miners are working with the Government to find a long-term solution to the problem of energy shortages.

Anglo Platinum, a subsidiary of Anglo American, said that production of the precious metal had fallen to 428,000 ounces in the first three months compared to 565,000 ounces in the same period last year.

Anglo American's thermal coal production, which is used in electricity generation, fell 20 per cent in South Africa to 4.7 million tonnes, compared with an 8 per cent increase to 3.3 million tonnes in Australia.

Diamond production by De Beers, which is 44 per cent owned by Anglo, fell 7 per cent to 11 million carats as a result of the power outages.

Anglo's non-South African mines reported increases in metal production, including a 7 per cent rise in iron ore output to 8.2 million tonnes.

Nickel was the only non-South African commodity to experience a fall in production, down 28.5 per cent to 4,600 tonnes. The company said that this was due to a strike at its Loma de Níquel in Venezuela, which shut down production for over a month.

In a statement the company said: "Anglo American’s energy task team continues to address critical issues in relation to power supply constraints in South Africa, focusing on short-term supply constraints, enhanced emergency power provisions and supplementary power generation for the short, medium and longer term requirements of mining operations."

Anglo American shares were down 107p or 3.2 per cent to 3234 in morning trading.

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