Production & reserves
Aluminium
(Rio Tinto interest 100% unless otherwise shown)
| Mine | Location | Access | Title/lease |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBG Sangaredi (23%) | Conakry, Guinea | Road and air | Lease expires in 2038 |
| Ely | Weipa, Queensland, Australia | Road and air | Alcan Queensland Pty. Limited Agreement Act 1965 expires in 2048 with 21 year right of renewal with a two year notice period |
| GBC Awaso (80%) | Awaso, Ghana | Road | Lease expires in 2022, renewable in 25 year periods |
| Gove | Gove, Northern Territory, Australia | Road, air and port | 100% Leasehold (held in trust by the Commonwealth on behalf of the Traditional Owners until end of mine life) |
| MRN Porto Trombetas (12%) | Porto Trombetas, Brazil | Air or port | Mineral rights granted for undetermined period |
| Weipa | Weipa, Queensland, Australia | Road, air and port | Queensland Government lease expires in 2041 with option of 21 year extension, then two years' notice of termination |
| Mine | History | Type of mine | Power source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBG Sangaredi (23%) | Bauxite mining commenced in 1973. Shareholders are 51% Halco and 49% Guinea. Rio Tinto Alcan holds 45% of Halco since 2004. Current annual capacity is 13 million tonnes | Open cut | On site generation (fuel oil) |
| Ely | Discovered in 1957; 100% secured in 1965. In 1997, Ely Bauxite Mining Project Agreement signed with local Aboriginal land owners. Bauxite Mining and Exchange Agreement signed in 1998 with Comalco to allow for extraction of ore by Comalco. Mining commenced 2006, first ore extracted 2007 | Open cut | Supplied by Weipa |
| GBC Awaso (80%) | Bauxite mining commenced in 1940 (100% British Aluminium). From 1974 to 1997, Ghana held 55%, Alcan 45%; since 1998 Rio Tinto Alcan 80%, Ghana 20%. Annual capacity is one million tonnes, currently limited to 750,000 tonnes by rail infrastructure | Open cut | Electricity grid with on site generation back up |
| Gove | Bauxite mining commenced in 1970 feeding both the Gove refinery and export market capped at two million tonnes per annum. Bauxite export ceased in 2006 with feed intended for the expanded Gove refinery. Current production capacity about ten million tonnes per annum with mine life estimated to 2025 | Open cut | Central power station located at the Gove refinery |
| MRN Porto Trombetas (12%) | Mineral extraction commenced in April 1979. Initial production capacity 3.4 million tonnes annually. From October 2003, production capacity up to 16.3 million tonnes per year. Capital structure currently: CVRD (40%), BHP Billiton (14.8%), Rio Tinto Alcan (12%), CBA (10%), Alcoa/Abalco (18.2%) and Norsk Hydro (5%). Production 18 million tonnes of wet and dry bauxite annually | Open cut | On site generation (heavy oil, diesel) |
| Weipa | Bauxite mining commenced in 1961. Major upgrade completed in 1998. Rio Tinto interest increased from 72.4% to 100% in 2000. In 2004 a mine expansion was completed that has lifted annual capacity to 16.5 million tonnes. Mining commenced on the adjacent Ely mining lease in 2006, in accordance with the 1998 agreement with Alcan. A second shiploader that increases the shipping capability was commissioned in 2006 | Open cut | On site generation; new power station commissioned in 2006 |