Export earnings from energy and mineral commodities in the September quarter 2010 were the third-highest on record, at $44 billion, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) said.

Export earnings in the September quarter remained high, reflecting higher world prices for coal, iron ore and some base metals, said ABARES Acting Deputy Executive Director, Kim Ritman.

Export prices for energy commodities increased by 5 per cent while prices for metals and other minerals increased by 3 per cent.

In the September quarter, export volumes decreased for around half of the energy and mineral resources tracked by ABARES, including metallurgical coal, iron ore, gold, copper, alumina, aluminium and zinc.

Commodities that recorded significant increases in export earnings in the September quarter included: liquefied natural gas (LNG), up $738 million (37 per cent) to $2.8 billion; uranium oxide (U3O8), up $59 million (36 per cent) to $221 million; thermal coal, up $596 million (18 per cent) to $3.9 billion; and iron ore and pellets, up $990 million (8 per cent) to $13.6 billion.

Commodities that recorded significant decreases in export earnings included: manganese ore and concentrates, down $217 million (49 per cent) to $230 million; refined gold, down $1.3 billion (31 per cent) to $2.9 billion; lead, down $146 million (28 per cent) to $381 million; iron and steel, down $86 million (22 per cent) to $310 million; zinc, down $102 million (14 per cent) to $602 million; and alumina, down $124 million (9 per cent) to $1.3 billion.