Our operations

Rio Tinto Alcan's worldwide operations give Rio Tinto the top global ranking in bauxite and aluminium production.  It also has a number of projects in place for the Group to also become the global leader in alumina.

Rio Tinto Alcan owns, operates or has interests in six bauxite mines and deposits, nine alumina refineries, 23 aluminium smelters and 13 power generating plants, nine of them hydroelectric. 

The Bauxite and Alumina business unit focuses on large scale, cost effective assets. Besides the Weipa bauxite deposit in Queensland, Australia, it operates, in whole or in part, mines at Gove in the Northern Territory, Porto Trombetas in Brazil, Accra in Ghana and Conakry in Guinea. It also has two alumina refineries in Gladstone, Queensland; as well as others at Gove, Autralia; Sao Luis, Brazil; Jonquière, Canada; and Gardanne, France.

The Primary Metal business unit comprises smelters that use alumina to produce aluminium. It has the industry's largest share of low-cost production capacity, the most advanced smelting technology, the ability to generate about half of its own power needs, equipment sales, engineering services and aluminium trading operations, anode and cathode production facilities and aluminium fluoride plants. Rio Tinto Alcan smelters span the world, located in Australia, Canada, Cameroon, China, France, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, the UK and the US, with new build projects in Australia, South Africa, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Rio Tinto Alcan worldwide presence: 29 countries on six continents