Rio Tinto in Australia - PageSuite

Rio Tinto in AustraliaThe businesses2012AluminiumAluminium is one of the world’s most versatile metals, foundin everything from foil packaging, cans and bottle tops towindows, roofing and electrical wiring.21million tonnesof bauxite minedyearly at Weipa4million tonnes ofalumina producedat our Gladstonerefineries25per cent of ouremployees at Weipaare Indigenous87,000number ofQueensland homesbeing suppliedwith low emissionelectricity from ourgas-fired facilityRio Tinto Alcan is one of the world’slargest producers of bauxite,alumina and aluminium. We havebeen operating in Queensland sincethe mid-1950s when we developedbauxite deposits at Weipa, onQueensland’s western Cape YorkPeninsula. Our other assets inQueensland include the Yarwunalumina refinery, and an 80 percent interest in QueenslandAlumina Limited.We have two large capital projectsplanned or underway. The Yarwunalumina refinery expansion willmore than double production atthe refinery, taking output from1.4 million tonnes to 3.4 milliontonnes. The South of Embley Projectwould see bauxite mining extendedto an area south of our mining leasenear Weipa, with a staged increasein production of up to 50 milliondry-product tonnes a year.Some of Rio Tinto’s aluminiumbusinesses sit within PacificAluminium, and are being preparedfor divestment. These includeBoyne Smelters and NRG GladstonePower Station in Queensland, Govebauxite mine and alumina refineryin the Northern Territory, TomagoAluminium in New South Wales andBell Bay aluminium smelterin Tasmania.10