Coal & Allied second quarter

RNS Number : 1726Z

Rio Tinto PLC

16 July 2008

 



MEDIA RELEASE

16 July 2008

Production Report for the quarter ended 30 June 2008

	CNA	2Q	3Q	4Q	1Q	2Q	1H	1H
'000 tonnes (100% basis)	interest	2007	2007	2007	2008	2008	2007	2008
Hunter Valley Operations	100%
Thermal coal production		2,020	1,883	2,046	2,143	1,830	4,336	3,972
Semi-soft coking coal production		381	460	657	683	1,078	713	1,760
Bengalla Mine	40%
Thermal coal production		1,070	1,394	1,376	1,053	1,607	2,385	2,659
Mount Thorley Operations (a)	80%
Thermal coal production		280	261	731	382	428	937	809
Semi-soft coking coal production		137	393	302	332	41	300	373
Warkworth Mine (a)	55.6%
Thermal coal production		1,172	1,663	1,197	1,522	1,507	2,515	3,030
Semi-soft coking coal production		216	133	0	1	46	267	46
Total coal production		5,276	6,186	6,310	6,114	6,537	11,453	12,651
Total sales (b)		5,725	6,218	6,908	6,050	6,233	12,396	12,283
Coal & Allied share
Coal production		3,934	4,422	4,746	4,664	4,788	8,539	9,452
Coal sales ('000 tonnes)		4,320	4,531	5,087	4,571	4,660	9,315	9,231

• Production can be sourced from either mining lease and is allocated over the year based on the tonnage commitment ratio contractually agreed between the Mount Thorley and Warkworth joint ventures.

• 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 differences may result between the total of the quarter figures and the full year figures.

Second quarter production and export sales were in line with allocated port capacity.  The constraints experienced in the Hunter Valley coal chain resulted in shipments to customers under 2007 Japanese fiscal year contract pricing being carried over into April and May.

Coal production was higher than the comparable quarter last year because of the impact of the 2007 June floods in the Hunter Valley.

The proportion of semi soft coking coal production was increased at Hunter Valley Operations to take advantage of the stronger semi soft market. Semi soft prices have not yet been agreed with customers, and at 30 June approximately 1.37 million tonnes of semi soft coal sales had been provisionally priced within a range of $US200-$US220/tonne.

At the combined Mount Thorley Warkworth operation a planned 60 day dragline overhaul was completed in the second quarter.

Other

There was no exploration activity during the quarter.

Media Enquiries:                             Investor Enquiries:

Alison Smith                                      Dave Skinner    

[phone] / 0438 787 038         03 9283 3628 / 0408 335 309    

www.coalandallied.com.au

 

END

 

 

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