Rio Tinto | Minerals and Metals for the world

The refined refinery
John Arlidge tells the story of a new alumina plant on a greenfield site that will be both cost efficient and environmentally friendly.

For most of us buying a new car is a substantial investment, often second only to buying a home. It's usually going to cost thousands of dollars or pounds and has to be taken seriously. But when Rio Tinto decided on a new car - or should we say CAR - in Australia, the scale was somewhat larger, with US$750m involved. CAR is the new Comalco Alumina Refinery - the first greenfield alumina plant anywhere in the world for 15 years.

When Rio Tinto approved the project, Comalco chief executive Sam Walsh and his management team recognized the project would be a major test of the company's vision - an opportunity to apply sustainable development principles to a greenfield project.

"We put our money where our mouth is," Walsh reflects. "We began building sustainability into the refinery from the very start. The results in terms of safety, the environment and the conditions in which people work have been excellent."

"CAR's construction is not only running on schedule and budget, but it has set an impressive standard in terms of what it means to be a responsible and sustainable member of a community."

CAR's commitment to sustainable development began with a decision to remove and store native grass trees on the refinery site for later landscaping.

This relatively small issue became a potent symbol of CAR's aspirations. The grass tree was adopted as the company logo to be a permanent reminder of the sustainable development objectives.

The refinery is located 10km west of the major Queensland city of Gladstone.



The refined refinery John Arlidge tells the story of a new alumina plant on a greenfield site that will be both cost efficient and environmentally friendly. For most of us buying a new car is a substantial investment, often second only to buying a home. It's usually going to cost thousands of dollars or pounds and has to be taken seriously. But when Rio Tinto decided on a new car - or should we say CAR - in Australia, the scale was somewhat larger, with US$750m involved. CAR is the new Comalco Alumina Refinery - the first greenfield alumina plant anywhere in the world for 15 years. When Rio Tinto approved the project, Comalco chief executive Sam Walsh and his management team recognized the project would be a major test of the company's vision - an opportunity to apply sustainable development principles to a greenfield project. "We put our money where our mouth is," Walsh reflects. "We began building sustainability into the refinery from the very start. The results in terms of safety, the environment and the conditions in which people work have been excellent." "CAR's construction is not only running on schedule and budget, but it has set an impressive standard in terms of what it means to be a responsible and sustainable member of a community." CAR's commitment to sustainable development began with a decision to remove and store native grass trees on the refinery site for later landscaping. This relatively small issue became a potent symbol of CAR's aspirations. The grass tree was adopted as the company logo to be a permanent reminder of the sustainable development objectives. The refinery is located 10km west of the major Queensland city of Gladstone.
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Review is published by Rio Tinto, 6 St James' Square, London SW1Y 4LD, England Telephone +44 (0)20 7930 2399 Editor: Cherry DeGeer