Performance
Closure
The closure of an operation poses risks to both Rio Tinto and those communities who have often come to depend on the operation for their wellbeing. We have therefore adopted an approach of planning for closure early in the life of an operation to minimise unforeseen financial impacts and ensure stakeholder expectations can be met. These requirements are outlined in our closure standard which applies to all parts of our business.We approach closure planning as a multi disciplinary responsibility, involving community relations, human resources, environmental specialists, engineers and financial specialists. Integrating closure planning into all aspects of decision making in a business, from the earliest stages of project development to the decommissioning of facilities, is essential in order to leave a positive legacy of sustainable development. We believe that achieving a reputation for positive closure outcomes will assist us to gain future access for new projects.
In 2008 we conducted five closure management plan reviews designed to ensure that our site closure plans are current and financial provisions are adequate to meet our sustainable development objectives. In addition, financial provisions for all former Alcan operations were analysed and updated through a series of on site reviews and workshops to ensure they met the Rio Tinto closure standard and financial reporting requirements. During these on site reviews opportunities were identified to further improve closure planning and progress remediation.
As a member of the International Council for Mining and Metals, Rio Tinto participated in the development of Planning for integrated mine closure. This publicly available toolkit is intended to guide best practice closure planning throughout the mining industry to achieve sustainable development outcomes.
Through our partnership with the Eden Project (www.edenproject.com), we continued to work with the Post Mining Alliance (www.postmining.org) which aims to encourage and promote the regeneration of old mine sites for the sustainable benefit of the local community and natural environment. The alliance provides us with the opportunity to participate in a multi-stakeholder discussion intended to address issues regarding abandoned mines, and to encourage good practice across the industry in closing mines.
