Coal & Allied 1QPR 2006

Rio Tinto PLC
20 April 2006

Rio Tinto's 75.7 per cent owned subsidiary, Coal & Allied Industries Limited,
issued the following news release in Australia. All dollars are Australian
currency.





Coal & Allied production report for the quarter ended 31 March 2006


                                                 1Q        2Q        3Q         4Q          1Q    Full Year
'000 tonnes (100% basis)                       2005      2005      2005       2005        2006         2005

Hunter Valley Operations
Thermal coal production                       2,765     2,497     2,429      2,651       2,386       10,341
Semi-soft coking coal production                570       530       555        378         419        2,033

Mount Thorley Operations
Thermal coal production                         718       612       836        529         969        2,695
Semi-soft coking coal production                268       458       261        281         291        1,267

Bengalla Mine
Thermal coal production                       1,430     1,274     1,208      2,053       1,088        5,965

Warkworth Mine
Thermal coal production                       1,380     1,335     1,736      1,495       1,759        5,946
Semi-soft coking coal production                 50       145        85         67          11          347

Total coal production                         7,181     6,850     7,110      7,452       6,922       28,594

Total sales ('000 tonnes)(a)                  7,860     6,564     7,088      7,529       7,306       29,042


(a)     Sales relate only to coal mined by the operations and exclude traded
coal.

Production figures are sometimes more precise than the rounded numbers shown,
hence small difference may result between the total of the quarter figures and
the full year figures.


Shipments were in line with the allocation set under the Port Waratah Coal
Services capacity balancing system.  Production from the Hunter Valley
Operations and Mount Thorley Warkworth aligned with the port and rail
allocation.  Production from Bengalla was below the preceding quarter and the
first quarter of 2005.  With relatively short dragline paths available,
significant variations in coal release from quarter to quarter are
characteristic at Bengalla.

There was no exploration activity during the quarter.

Coal & Allied continued work on the pre-feasibility study of the Mount Pleasant
deposit (Coal & Allied 100 per cent).



For further information, please contact:

LONDON                                              AUSTRALIA

Media Relations                                     Media Relations
Hugh Leggatt                                        Ian Head
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Investor Relations                                  Investor Relations
Nigel Jones                                         Dave Skinner
Office: [phone]                        Office:  [phone]
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David Ovington                                      Susie Creswell
Office:  [phone]                       Office:  [phone]
Mobile: [phone]                        Mobile:  [phone]

Website: www.riotinto.com






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