South Africa's Exxaro adjusted FY earnings fall by 6 pct on impairment charge

Exxaro's CEO Sipho Nkosi speaks at the 2013 Reuters Africa Investment Summit in Johannesburg, in a file photo. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Exxaro, South Africa's biggest coal producer, said on Thursday its adjusted full-year earnings fell 6 percent in 2014 due to an impairment charge of 5.8 billion rand ($490.9 million) related to an iron ore project in the Congo Republic. Diluted headline earnings per share totalled 1,368 cents compared to 1,459 cents in the previous year, the company said in a statement. ($1=11.8150 rand)