March 19 (Reuters) - Australian coal miner New Hope Corp ( NHPEF )

on Tuesday reported a 62.4% drop in its first-half

profit, hurt by a sharp decline in worldwide coal prices.

Even though the miner logged a 28.1% increase in its

saleable coal production during the half-year, its average

realised prices dropped 57% to A$197.03 per tonne.

"A mild winter in the Northern Hemisphere resulted in

softer demand in the global energy market, creating downward

pressure on prices," the Brisbane-based company said.

Coal prices have normalised following price spikes in

2022 due to the Ukraine war.

The company logged a profit attributable to shareholders of

A$251.7 million ($165.01 million) for the six months ended Jan.

31, less than half its record profit of A$668.6 million a year

earlier.

The miner declared an interim dividend of 17 Australian

cents, below the 30 cents it paid last year, but higher than

brokerage Morgans' estimate of 12 cents.

($1 = 1.5253 Australian dollars)