Cerrejon's Colombia coal exports, output fall in 2016

BOGOTA, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Output and exports of coal by Cerrejon, Colombia's biggest coal producer, fell in 2016 for the second straight year, the company said on Tuesday.

Production reached 32 million tonnes, down 3.6 percent from the previous year when output was 33.2 million tonnes. Cerrejon did not provide a reason for the decline.

Exports slipped 2.99 percent to 32.4 million tonnes from 33.4 million tonnes a year earlier.

Cerrejon is a joint venture between Australia-based BHP Billiton Ltd, London- and Johannesburg-based Anglo American Plc and Swiss-based Glencore Xstrata.

It operates in northern La Guajira province where it has a mine that produces thermal coal, a 150-kilometer train line and a sea port that can handle cargo of up to 180,000 tonnes.

Colombia, the world's fifth largest coal exporter, expects its output for 2016 to be 85 million tonnes. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Helen Murphy; Editing by Bill Trott)