Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs
Purpose & Values
The drive for innovation and continuous improvement is at the heart of our purpose
Business Strategy
Climate change is at the heart of our business strategy
We are 150
150 years of finding better ways
Iron Ore
Iron ore is the primary raw material used to make steel
7 things the world will need for a low-carbon future
Wind, sun and water – what else do you need to make renewable energy work?
Sustainability – the expectation, not the exception
Shaping our aluminium product offering to meet demand for greener metals
We work across six continents in around 35 countries
Look inside a mine of the future
Our most intelligent mine yet is pioneering new mining technologies
Rincon Project
A long-life, low-cost and low-carbon lithium source
Simandou Project
The world’s largest untapped high-grade iron ore deposit
Providing materials the world needs in a responsible way
Sustainability Reporting 2022
We have a responsibility to extract the full value from the minerals and materials we produce in the safest and most sustainable way possible
Climate Change
We’re targeting net zero emissions by 2050
Water
Sharing our water usage
We aim to deliver superior returns to our shareholders while safeguarding the environment and meeting our obligations to wider society
Rio Tinto Limited 2023 AGM
Perth: 4 May 2023
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Breaking new ground for copper supply
Taking the world’s fourth-largest copper mine underground
The slow journey from red mud to green plants
Finding new ways to rehabilitate red mud
Road to a greener future
Rio Tinto Partners with BMW Group on Premium Aluminium Car Parts
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Graduates & Students
If you want to drive real change, we have just the place to do it
Empowering families with flexibility
Supporting new parents of any gender with equal access to parental leave
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Product
Production
Ownership
Started
2022 figures
With a total contribution of over C$842 million to the British Columbia economy in 2019, we are one of the single largest contributors to the province’s manufacturing GDP. In 2019, BC Works was certified by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) for producing aluminium to the highest internationally recognised standard for responsible environmental, social and governance practices.
When BC Works opened in 1954, it was the world’s largest smelter powered by hydroelectricity. Today, following a C$6 billion investment to modernise the smelter, the aluminium we produce here has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world. The upgrade, completed in 2016, included installing smelting equipment that uses our state-of-the-art AP Technology, making BC Works not only more efficient and commercially competitive but also cleaner: we now produce twice as much aluminium as we did previously, with half the greenhouse gas emissions.
Benefits of the modernised smelter, one of the largest private construction projects in British Columbia’s history, include:
Our Kemano Powerhouse receives water from the Nechako Reservoir via a single tunnel that is more than 65 years old, and is even today the largest high-pressure hydropower generation facility in North America. In 2017, we announced an investment of C$600 million in a second tunnel at Kemano to ensure that the power to our smelter remains secure and sustainable.
A tunnel boring machine, named tl’ughus by the Cheslatta Carrier Nation after a legendary giant monster snake, cut 7.6 kilometres through the rock in remote mountains over 30 months, completing the route for a 16 kilometre tunnel that was started in the early 1990s. The project is expected to be complete in the second half of 2022.
Rio Tinto’s BC Works aluminium smelter in Kitimat started to progressively increase its production following the resolution of a labour dispute last year that shut down much of the smelter’s operation. The restart of production at the smelter has started in 2022 and will continue in 2023. A public consultation to amend our P2 permit to support our restart activities took place last year. As the return to normal operations for the smelter is taking longer than expected, we are applying to the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy to extend the emission limits associated with the pot starts. We are committed to protecting our community’s interests to ensure a zero-harm restart and are confident that we can be a world class smelter built on care and respect for our employees, their families, our contractors, customers, and the place we call home. We are notifying the public about our application to extend our Permit temporary amendment.
BC Works smelter reports
Northern British Columbia is home to many Indigenous Peoples including the Haisla Nation, whose main community is Kitamaat Village, near our smelter
BC Works T2 Project
In 1999, BC Works became the first industrial facility in British Columbia to obtain what is called a “multi-media environmental permit” from the provincial government. This permit sets standards of operation and requires annual reporting on a variety of performance measures: air emissions, ambient air quality, effluents, groundwater, vegetation and waste management. The yearly performance of the smelter is published in our operation’s Annual Environmental Report.
We are focused on minimising the impacts of our operation on the environment. Our Environmental Effects Monitoring (EEM) programme, which is based on an Adaptive Management Approach that commits us to extensive monitoring, regular reporting and taking measurable actions, as needed, monitors and reports on sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from our smelter.
We also host a consultation community group, the Kitimat Public Advisory Committee (KPAC), which meets on a quarterly basis and reviews BC Works’ environmental performance and business operations.
In 2019, we partnered with the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) to establish the NSERC/Rio Tinto Senior Industrial Research Chair in Climate Change and Water Security, advancing research programmes in the region and providing first-hand learning opportunities for students. We are also a founding member of the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative, which researches and monitors the endangered White Sturgeon, aiming to stabilise the remaining population and prevent further declines, with the ultimate goal of rebuilding a self-sustaining population.
BC Works environmental compliance monitoring
Rio Tinto BC Works is conducting a consultation on its Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) Environmental Effects Monitoring (EEM) Program. Launched in 2014, the SO2 EEM Program is designed to measure the amount of SO2 being produced by the smelter, monitor potential effects on human health, soil, vegetation, or lakes, and put controls in place to reduce harm to the environment. The Program is entering its third phase and the current consultation aims at answering questions, addressing concerns and gathering feedback with respect to the changes proposed to the Program.
Questions or concerns about the SO2 EEM Program or the consultation? Reach out to us at BCWorksInfo@riotinto.com.
BC Works Sulphur Dioxide Environmental Effects Monitoring Programme
The Nechako Reservoir provides stable, low cost, green hydro-electric power to energise the Kitimat smelter
KITIMAT, Canada – Rio Tinto has commissioned a second tunnel to carry water into the Kemano Powerhouse in British Columbia, marking the end of the Kemano T2 hydropower project. The new, 16-kilometre tunnel was filled up with water and produced its first megawatt of electricity in July 2022 after its construction was completed in May 2022. Both T1 and T2 are now operating together, ensuring the lon
KITIMAT, Canada – Rio Tinto and LNG Canada today opened a newly extended wharf that will increase the capacity of Rio Tinto’s port facilities in Kitimat and support economic diversification in Northern British Columbia. The new wharf was built for Rio Tinto at its existing Terminal A facility by LNG Canada. It will replace a wharf and land leased to LNG Canada in 2018 for use to start exporting li
KITIMAT, Canada – In a major milestone for Rio Tinto’s Kemano T2 hydropower project in British Columbia, the tunnel boring machine has broken through to complete its journey. The Kemano T2 Project is completing a second tunnel to carry water into the Kemano Powerhouse, to ensure the long-term reliability of the power supply for Rio Tinto’s BC Works smelter in Kitimat. The tunnel boring machine cut
PO Box 1800 1 Smeltersite Road Kitimat BC V8C 2H2, Canada
E: BC Works Enquiries T: +1 250 639 8383
PO Box 936 Unit 3B, 321 Highway 16 Evergreen Mall BC VOJ 1E0 Canada
E: Nechako Reservoir Enquiries T: +1 250 692 9618
PO Box 25 158 Stewart Street Vanderhoof BC V0J 3A0, Canada
T: +1 250 639 8601 T: +1 250 639 8446
T: +1 250 639 8273
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As some data privacy laws regulate IP addresses and other information collected through the use of cookies as personal data, Rio Tinto’s processing of such personal data needs to comply with its Data Privacy Standard (see Part 1 of our Privacy Policy), and also applicable data privacy laws.
With the exception of the use of cookies (explained below), Rio Tinto generally does not seek to collect personal data through this website. However if you choose to provide personal data to Rio Tinto through this website (for example, by sending us an email), we will process that personal data to answer your query and if relevant, to manage our business relationship with you or your company. We won't process that personal data for other purposes except where required to meet our legal obligations or otherwise as authorised by law and notified to you.
Part 1 of this Privacy Policy contains the Rio Tinto Data Privacy Standard, which provides an overview of Rio Tinto’s approach to personal data processing. There is additional information in the appendices to the Data Privacy Standard, including information about disclosures, trans-border data transfers, the exercise of data subject rights and how to make complaints or obtain further information relating to Rio Tinto’s processing of your personal data.
If you choose to subscribe to our media releases or other communications, you can unsubscribe at any time (by following the instructions in the email or by contacting us at digital.comms@riotinto.com).
With your consent, our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site.
A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer's hard drive.
As some data privacy laws regulate IP addresses and other information collected through the use of cookies as personal data, Rio Tinto’s processing of such personal data needs to comply with its Data Privacy Standard (see Part 1 of this Privacy Policy), and also applicable data privacy laws.
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