Uranium

The Rio Tinto Energy Group portfolio comprises uranium, thermal coal and coking coal operations.  Rio Tinto has interests in two uranium mines: Energy Resources of Australia Ltd (ERA) in Australia (68 per cent interest) and Rössing in Namibia (69 per cent interest).

ERA is the world's third-largest uranium producer. Since 1981, the Company has mined uranium ore to produce uranium oxide (U₃O₈) at the Ranger Mine located 250 kilometres east of Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory. ERA sells its products to power utilities in Japan, South Korea, Europe and North America under strict international safeguards.  The uranium sold by ERA is used only for the generation of nuclear electricity.

Rössing, a large open pit uranium mine, is situated in Namibia, south-western Africa and started operations in 1976. It is located close to the town of Arandis 65 kilometres inland from the coastal town of Swakopmund in the Namib Desert in the Erongo Region in Namibia. Walvis Bay, Namibia's only deepwater harbour, lies 40 kilometres south of Swakopmund. Rössing's product is also uranium oxide (U₃O₈) and its customers are the nuclear power utilities in Central Europe, North America and South-east Asia where the uranium oxide is used in the generation of electricity. Rössing is one of the largest open pit uranium mines in the world, with solid reserves which will continue to serve the world nuclear energy industry. The mine currently produces about 7.55 per cent of the world's uranium.

Both operations supply uranium under strict safeguard practices where there is never a diversion of nuclear material from commercial nuclear power stations to nuclear weapons, in fact it is a contractual condition that "the Concentrates delivered and any products derived therefrom shall be used exclusively for peaceful non-explosive purposes."

1. Energy Resources of Australia, Australia
2. Rössing Uranium, Africa

For more information about Rio Tinto's uranium operations, visit Our operations.