Rio Tinto 3QOR 2005
Rio Tinto PLC
19 October 2005
Third quarter 2005 operations review
• The strong operational performance of the first half of the year continued
through the third quarter with most operations producing at, or near,
capacity.
• Hamersley shipped record volumes of iron ore. Two shipments were loaded
from the new shiploader at Dampier and the Yandicoogina capacity expansion
to 36 million tonnes per year was completed. Robe produced record volumes
with the expansion of West Angelas capacity to 25 million tonnes per year
completed.
• Kennecott Utah Copper focussed on higher molybdenum grade ore at the
expense of mined copper production, to take advantage of the strong market
for molybdenum. Third quarter molybdenum production was 21 per cent higher
than the record second quarter. Refined copper production returned to
normal following the smelter maintenance shut-down in the second quarter.
• Production of both copper and gold from the Grasberg mine was significantly
higher than in the comparative period of 2004 when the operations were
ramping-up following the recovery from the 2003 material slippage.
• Year to date alumina production was 42 per cent above the first nine months
of 2004. Third quarter alumina production was seven per cent lower than
the second quarter of 2005. Production from the Comalco Alumina Refinery
was adversely affected by a maintenance shut-down brought forward from the
fourth quarter. The Boyne Island, Tiwai Point and Bell Bay aluminium
smelters all produced record volumes.
• In September, Rio Tinto approved its 40 per cent share of the development
costs of the Cortez Hills gold project in Nevada.
All currency figures in this report are US dollars unless otherwise stated.
IRON ORE
Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes)
Q3 05 vs Q3 04 vs Q2 05 9 mths 05 vs 9 mths 04
Hamersley 22,183 +12% -3% 63,685 +18%
Robe River 7,341 +8% +13% 20,402 +5%
IOC (pellets and concentrate) 2,292 +629% -7% 6,764 +51%
Demand remained strong for all products in all markets, underlined by the move
by POSCO to renew long term sales contracts ahead of their expiry.
Hamersley
Hamersley continued to produce at near-record levels during the quarter and
sales were a quarterly record.
Expansion work at Yandicoogina was completed this quarter, taking nameplate
capacity to 36 million tonnes per year. Port expansion work at Dampier remained
on track for completion in the fourth quarter, with two shipments of fines ore
loaded from the new shiploader in early September.
Robe River
Robe produced a record 13.9 million tonnes this quarter, and shipped 13.7
million tonnes.
Expansion work at West Angelas was completed this quarter, taking nameplate
capacity to 25 million tonnes per year, coinciding with shipment of the 50
millionth tonne of West Angelas ore from Cape Lambert in September.
Iron Ore Company of Canada
Following record production in the first half of 2005, production in the third
quarter was marginally below the second quarter due to the timing of
maintenance. Production in the third quarter of 2004 was affected by a ten week
labour dispute.
ENERGY
US thermal coal
Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes)
Q3 05 vs Q3 04 vs Q2 05 9 mths 05 vs 9 mths 04
Kennecott Energy 28,290 -7% -2% 86,446 -0%
Third quarter production was marginally below that of the second quarter. As
anticipated, shipments were constrained by maintenance on the third party rail
line which is expected to continue through the fourth quarter. More than a
million tonnes of production from Cordero Rojo was lost as adverse weather
conditions resulted in spoil pile instability for a period of six weeks. Year
to date production is in line with the corresponding period of 2004 reflecting
growth in production at Jacobs Ranch mine and strong demand for the higher
energy coals of Spring Creek.
Australian coal
Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes)
Q3 05 vs Q3 04 vs Q2 05 9 mths 05 vs 9 mths 04
Rio Tinto Coal Australia
Hard coking coal 1,755 -15% -10% 5,610 +4%
Other coal 7,996 -9% +10% 23,287 -6%
Although the queue management system at Dalrymple Bay and the capacity balancing
system at Newcastle continue to manage effectively the vessel queues at those
ports, shipments, and hence production, from the Australian operations continued
to be constrained by port and rail capacity.
Production of hard coking coal reflects lower production from Kestrel due to
mining through unstable ground conditions. Production at Kestrel had returned
to normal by the end of the quarter.
INDUSTRIAL MINERALS
Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes)
Q3 05 vs Q3 04 vs Q2 05 9 mths 05 vs 9 mths 04
Borates 141 -8% -4% 409 -4%
Titanium dioxide feedstock 327 +11% -0% 976 +12%
Production of borates was below both the preceding quarter and the corresponding
quarter of 2004 reflecting the timing of maintenance. Titanium dioxide
feedstock production at QIT and RBM was similar to the preceding quarter but
well above the corresponding period of 2004. QIT's Upgraded Slag (UGS)
expansion completed its ramp-up to 325,000 tonnes in line with the commissioning
schedule and a further capacity expansion to 375,000 tonnes at a capital cost of
$79 million was approved in October 2005. This will come on stream in late
2006.
ALUMINIUM
Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes)
Q3 05 vs Q3 04 vs Q2 05 9 mths 05 vs 9 mths 04
Rio Tinto Aluminium
Bauxite 3,781 +20% +3% 10,898 +15%
Alumina 725 +37% -7% 2,214 +42%
Aluminium 216.6 +3% +2% 638.1 +2%
Bauxite production continued to increase following the earlier completion of the
NeWeipa mine expansion.
The new Comalco Alumina Refinery produced 191,000 tonnes in the quarter,
37,000 tonnes below the preceding quarter. The commissioning schedule
incorporates a number of maintenance shut-downs, one of which was brought
forward from the fourth quarter to implement commissioning modifications to
improve plant performance. Both Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL) and
Eurallumina continued to experience good process stability. Production from QAL
was marginally below the record production of the second quarter. Production
from Eurallumina was in line with the preceding quarters.
All aluminium smelters continued to produce at, or near, capacity. All except
Anglesey Aluminium achieved record quarterly production.
COPPER
Rio Tinto share of production
Q3 05 vs Q3 04 vs Q2 05 9 mths 05 vs 9 mths 04
Kennecott Utah Copper
Mined copper (000 tonnes) 50.2 -21% -11% 169.0 -11%
Refined copper (000 tonnes) 68.1 +8% +64% 166.8 -10%
Molybdenum (000 tonnes) 3.9 +170% +21% 11.0 +177%
Mined gold (000 ozs) 96 +24% -4% 315 +46%
Refined gold (000 ozs) 92 +24% +22% 258 +11%
Escondida
Mined copper (000 tonnes) 101.7 +16% +8% 280.7 +4%
Grasberg JV
Mined copper (000 tonnes) 23.6 +157% +7% 71.3 +197%
Mined gold (000 ozs) 122 +447% -13% 422 +784%
Kennecott Utah Copper
In order to capitalise on the continued strong prices, mine production of
molybdenum was optimised at the expense of mined copper production. In
addition, molybdenum production benefited from improved recoveries following the
completion of the moly plant expansion project.
Refined copper production returned to normal in the third quarter following the
smelter maintenance shut-down in May 2005.
Escondida
Mined copper production was above both the preceding quarter and the
corresponding period of 2004 due to higher grades, throughput and recoveries.
The Norte crusher and ore handling system was commissioned in September.
Grasberg
Reflecting variations in grade in the active sections of the pit, production of
copper was above and production of gold was below the preceding quarter.
Production in the first three quarters of 2004 was affected by the 2003 material
slippage event.
Other
Production from Northparkes was 23 per cent above the second quarter. Following
a successful ramp-up period, Lift 2 is now the sole source of ore for the mill
resulting in higher grades and throughput. Over 70 per cent of the copper
production at Palabora is also now sourced from underground production. Rio
Tinto approved its share of the development costs of the Cortez Hills gold
project. Cortez Hills is part of the Cortez Joint Venture property in Nevada,
which is 40 per cent owned by Rio Tinto.
DIAMONDS
Rio Tinto share of production (000 carats)
Q3 05 vs Q3 04 vs Q2 05 9 mths 05 vs 9 mths 04
Argyle 5,995 +13% -36% 24,021 +107%
Diavik 1,306 -4% -13% 3,865 +6%
Argyle
Although above the third quarter of 2004, production from Argyle was below that
of the preceding quarter. Production volumes from Argyle have become more
variable as the deepening pit reduces flexibility. Production for the first
nine months of the year was significantly above that of 2004 which was also
adversely affected by tight mining conditions.
Diavik
The process plant continued to operate at well above design capacity. However,
diamond production was lower than the record second quarter due to the lower
average grade of ore processed. Pit geometry and mine sequencing dictated the
mining of a higher proportion of ore from the lower grade A154N ore body.
EXPLORATION AND EVALUATION
Pre-tax expenditure on exploration and evaluation charged to the profit and loss
account in the first nine months of 2005 was $168 million compared with $126
million in the first nine months of 2004. Some of this expenditure is charged
against business unit earnings.
Exploration drilling continued on copper targets in Chile, Peru, and in the US.
Diamond exploration continued in Canada, Botswana, Mauritania, India and Brazil.
Iron ore exploration continued in the Hamersley Basin (Western Australia) and
in west Africa. Exploration for thermal and coking coal opportunities continued
in southern Africa, Australia and Canada. At La Sampala (nickel, Indonesia),
negotiations for a Contract of Work have commenced.
Brownfield exploration is underway at a number of Rio Tinto businesses, with
notable efforts to expand resources continuing in the Pilbara, at Kennecott Utah
Copper, on the Freeport and Cortez Joint Ventures, at Greens Creek and at
Northparkes.
Evaluation work continued at Eagle (nickel/copper, US), Sari Gunay (gold, Iran),
Resolution (copper/gold, US), Potasio Rio Colorado (potash, Argentina) and
Simandou (iron ore, Guinea).
For further information, please contact:
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Website: www.riotinto.com
RIO TINTO PRODUCTION SUMMARY
RIO TINTO SHARE OF PRODUCTION
QUARTER NINE MONTHS % CHANGE
2004 2005 2005 2004 2005 Q3 05 Q3 05 9 Mths 05
Q3 Q2 Q3 vs vs vs
Principal Commodities Q2 05 Q3 04 9 Mths 04
Alumina ('000 t) 530 779 725 1,560 2,214 -7% 37% 42%
Aluminium ('000 t) 210.4 213.3 216.6 627.4 638.1 2% 3% 2%
Borates ('000 t) 153 146 141 428 409 -4% -8% -4%
Coal - hard coking coal ('000 t) 2,070 1,952 1,755 5,371 5,610 -10% -15% 4%
Coal - other Australian ('000 t) 8,803 7,298 7,996 24,688 23,287 10% -9% -6%
Coal - US ('000 t) 30,398 28,916 28,290 86,662 86,446 -2% -7% 0%
Copper - mined ('000 t) 174.7 190.1 195.4 548.2 573.7 3% 12% 5%
Copper - refined ('000 t) 82.5 62.0 89.2 251.5 229.0 44% 8% -9%
Diamonds ('000 cts) 6,688 10,954 7,349 15,255 28,037 -33% 10% 84%
Gold - mined ('000 ozs) 367 420 376 1,124 1,256 -11% 2% 12%
Gold - refined ('000 ozs) 74 76 92 232 258 22% 24% 11%
Iron ore ('000 t) 27,307 32,166 32,187 78,854 91,972 0% 18% 17%
Titanium dioxide feedstock ('000 t) 296 328 327 873 976 0% 11% 12%
Other Metals & Minerals
Bauxite ('000 t) 3,157 3,674 3,781 9,496 10,898 3% 20% 15%
Lead - mined ('000 t) 3.4 3.3 2.5 21.8 9.2 -26% -27% -58%
Molybdenum ('000 t) 1.5 3.3 3.9 4.0 11.0 21% 170% 177%
Salt ('000 t) 1,271 1,392 1,121 3,661 3,896 -20% -12% 6%
Silver - mined ('000 ozs) 3,569 3,726 3,197 10,799 10,943 -14% -10% 1%
Silver - refined ('000 ozs) 854 1,138 830 2,400 2,723 -27% -3% 13%
Talc ('000 t) 371 363 336 1,088 1,056 -7% -9% -3%
Uranium (tonnes) 1,610 1,352 1,799 4,398 4,744 33% 12% 8%
Zinc - mined ('000 t) 10.7 10.4 8.1 62.1 28.5 -22% -24% -54%
Throughout this report, figures in italics indicate adjustments made since the
figure was previously quoted on the equivalent page.
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 nine month figures.
RIO TINTO SHARE OF PRODUCTION
Rio Tinto 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 9 MTHS 9 MTHS
interest 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004 2005
ALUMINA
Production ('000 tonnes)
Comalco Alumina Refinery (a) 100% - 175 196 228 191 - 616
Eurallumina 56% 155 154 148 150 150 444 448
Queensland Alumina 39% 375 342 366 401 384 1,116 1,151
Rio Tinto total alumina production 530 671 710 779 725 1,560 2,214
ALUMINIUM
Refined production ('000 tonnes)
Anglesey 51% 18.9 18.4 18.2 18.2 18.3 55.4 54.7
Bell Bay 100% 38.2 41.2 42.8 43.5 43.9 120.9 130.2
Boyne Island 59% 82.0 79.1 79.5 81.6 82.4 242.2 243.5
Tiwai Point 79% 71.2 70.4 67.8 70.0 72.0 209.0 209.8
Rio Tinto total aluminium production 210.4 209.1 208.3 213.3 216.6 627.4 638.1
BAUXITE
Production ('000 tonnes)
Boke (b) 0% - - - - - 179 -
Weipa 100% 3,157 3,333 3,443 3,674 3,781 9,317 10,898
Rio Tinto total bauxite production 3,157 3,333 3,443 3,674 3,781 9,496 10,898
BORATES
Borates ('000 tonnes B2O3 content)
Rio Tinto total borate production 100% 153 137 122 146 141 428 409
COAL - HARD COKING
Rio Tinto Coal Australia (c) ('000 tonnes)
Hail Creek Coal (d) 82% 1,376 1,100 1,136 1,223 1,208 3,532 3,568
Kestrel Coal 80% 693 289 766 729 547 1,838 2,042
Rio Tinto total hard coking coal production 2,070 1,389 1,902 1,952 1,755 5,371 5,610
COAL - OTHER *
Rio Tinto Coal Australia (c) ('000 tonnes)
Bengalla 30% 526 295 433 386 366 1,313 1,185
Blair Athol Coal 71% 2,169 2,157 1,892 1,789 1,994 6,555 5,675
Hunter Valley Operations 76% 2,671 2,762 2,525 2,292 2,259 7,284 7,076
Kestrel Coal 80% 173 61 160 227 143 438 530
Mount Thorley Operations 61% 593 573 597 648 664 1,576 1,909
Tarong Coal 100% 1,888 1,651 1,784 1,334 1,804 5,352 4,922
Warkworth 42% 783 757 602 622 766 2,169 1,991
Total Australian other coal 8,803 8,255 7,993 7,298 7,996 24,688 23,287
Kennecott Energy ('000 tonnes)
Antelope 100% 7,152 7,229 6,687 6,788 7,287 19,699 20,761
Colowyo (e) 1,494 1,412 1,315 1,315 1,219 4,376 3,848
Cordero Rojo 100% 9,023 9,358 9,170 8,736 7,687 25,874 25,592
Decker 50% 1,104 1,235 540 872 841 2,680 2,254
Jacobs Ranch 100% 8,833 8,792 9,032 8,188 8,014 26,187 25,233
Spring Creek 100% 2,791 3,046 2,497 3,018 3,243 7,845 8,758
Total US coal 30,398 31,072 29,240 28,916 28,290 86,662 86,446
Rio Tinto total other coal 39,201 39,327 37,233 36,214 36,286 111,350 109,732
production
COPPER
Mine production ('000 tonnes)
Bingham Canyon 100% 63.3 73.9 62.1 56.7 50.2 189.8 169.0
Escondida 30% 87.5 91.8 84.9 94.1 101.7 270.3 280.7
Grasberg - FCX (f) 0% - - - - - 5.5 -
Grasberg - Joint Venture (f) 40% 9.2 24.0 25.7 22.0 23.6 24.0 71.3
Neves Corvo (g) 0% - - - - - 23.0 -
Northparkes 80% 6.0 7.4 8.6 9.5 11.8 16.6 29.9
Palabora (h) 49% 8.7 7.9 6.9 7.7 8.2 18.9 22.7
Rio Tinto total mine production 174.7 204.9 188.2 190.1 195.4 548.2 573.7
Refined production ('000 tonnes)
Atlantic Copper (f) 0% - - - - - 7.0 -
Escondida 30% 11.4 11.6 11.4 11.2 10.2 34.1 32.7
Kennecott Utah Copper 100% 63.1 61.6 57.2 41.5 68.1 185.2 166.8
Palabora (h) 49% 8.0 8.0 9.2 9.3 10.8 25.3 29.4
Rio Tinto total refined production 82.5 81.1 77.8 62.0 89.2 251.5 229.0
Mine production figures for metals refer to the total quantity of metal produced
in concentrates or dore bullion irrespective of whether these products are then
refined on-site.
* Coal - other includes thermal coal and semi-soft coking coal.
See footnotes on page 10.
RIO TINTO SHARE OF PRODUCTION (continued)
Rio Tinto 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 9 MTHS 9 MTHS
interest 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004 2005
DIAMONDS
Production ('000 carats)
Argyle 100% 5,328 9,011 8,633 9,393 5,995 11,610 24,021
Diavik 60% 1,358 901 1,049 1,509 1,306 3,644 3,865
Murowa (i) 78% 2 34 51 52 48 2 151
Rio Tinto total diamond production 6,688 9,946 9,733 10,954 7,349 15,255 28,037
GOLD
Mine production ('000 ounces)
Barneys Canyon 100% 5 5 4 4 4 16 13
Bingham Canyon 100% 72 109 115 95 92 200 302
Cortez/Pipeline 40% 105 87 88 110 89 334 287
Escondida 30% 16 15 16 13 13 50 42
Grasberg - FCX (f) 0% - - - - - 14 -
Grasberg - Joint Venture (f) 40% 22 35 159 140 122 48 422
Greens Creek 70% 15 14 15 14 11 46 39
Kelian (j) 90% 64 90 31 8 - 205 38
Lihir (k) 14% 22 24 15 19 E 27 63 E 61
Morro do Ouro (l) 0% 24 23 - - - 73 -
Northparkes 80% 14 18 10 11 12 45 33
Rawhide 51% 6 6 6 5 3 19 14
Rio Tinto Zimbabwe (m) 0% - - - - - 6 -
Others - 1 1 2 2 2 5 5
Rio Tinto total mine production 367 428 460 420 376 1,124 1,256
Refined production ('000 ounces)
Kennecott Utah Copper 100% 74 68 90 76 92 232 258
IRON ORE
Production ('000 tonnes)
Channar 60% 1,623 1,312 1,524 1,311 1,371 4,543 4,206
Corumba 100% 352 375 377 372 371 926 1,121
Eastern Range (n) 1,050 1,272 1,295 1,831 1,897 1,698 5,024
Hamersley 100% 17,140 17,587 15,836 19,704 18,915 47,819 54,455
Iron Ore Company of Canada (o) 59% 315 2,058 2,014 2,459 2,292 4,483 6,764
Robe River 53% 6,828 6,299 6,572 6,489 7,341 19,384 20,402
Rio Tinto total mine production 27,307 28,903 27,618 32,166 32,187 78,854 91,972
LEAD
Mine production ('000 tonnes)
Greens Creek 70% 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.3 2.5 10.6 9.2
Zinkgruvan (p) 0% - - - - - 11.2 -
Rio Tinto total mine production 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.3 2.5 21.8 9.2
MOLYBDENUM
Mine production ('000 tonnes)
Bingham Canyon 100% 1.5 2.8 3.9 3.3 3.9 4.0 11.0
NICKEL
Toll refined metal production (tonnes)
Rio Tinto Zimbabwe - Empress (m) 0% - - - - - 1,619 -
SALT
Production ('000 tonnes)
Dampier Salt 65% 1,271 1,131 1,383 1,392 1,121 3,661 3,896
SILVER
Mine production ('000 ounces)
Bingham Canyon 100% 947 1,121 1,140 1,050 884 2,462 3,074
Escondida 30% 404 427 434 439 505 1,297 1,377
Grasberg - FCX (f) 0% - - - - - 79 -
Grasberg - Joint Venture (f) 40% 135 583 118 249 280 201 646
Greens Creek 70% 1,813 1,664 2,120 1,797 1,313 5,157 5,229
Zinkgruvan (p) 0% - - - - - 651 -
Others - 270 235 209 193 216 952 617
Rio Tinto total mine production 3,569 4,031 4,020 3,726 3,197 10,799 10,943
Refined production ('000 ounces)
Kennecott Utah Copper 100% 854 944 755 1,138 830 2,400 2,723
Mine production figures for metals refer to the total quantity of metal produced
in concentrates or dore bullion irrespective of whether these products are then
refined on-site, except for the data for iron ore which represent production of
saleable quantities of ore plus pellets.
See footnotes on page 10. E = Estimated number.
RIO TINTO SHARE OF PRODUCTION (continued)
Rio Tinto 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 9 MTHS 9 MTHS
interest 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004 2005
TALC
Production ('000 tonnes)
Luzenac Group 100% 371 354 357 363 336 1088 1,056
TIN
Mine production (tonnes)
Neves Corvo (g) 0% - - - - - 59 -
TITANIUM DIOXIDE FEEDSTOCK
Production ('000 tonnes)
Rio Tinto Iron & Titanium 100% 296 319 321 328 327 873 976
URANIUM
Production (tonnes U3O8)
Energy Resources of Australia 68% 931 1,026 1,001 855 1,087 2,491 2,944
Rossing 69% 679 549 592 497 712 1,907 1,801
Rio Tinto total uranium production 1,610 1,575 1,593 1,352 1,799 4,398 4,744
ZINC
Mine production ('000 tonnes)
Greens Creek 70% 10.7 11.7 10.0 10.4 8.1 32.4 28.5
Zinkgruvan (p) 0% - - - - - 29.7 -
Rio Tinto total mine production 10.7 11.7 10.0 10.4 8.1 62.1 28.5
Mine production figures for metals refer to the total quantity of metal produced
in concentrates or dore bullion irrespective of whether these products are then
refined on-site.
See footnotes below.
Production data notes
(a) Comalco Alumina Refinery started production in the fourth quarter of 2004.
(b) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 4.0% interest in the Boke mine on 25
June 2004. Production data are shown up to the date of sale.
(c) Rio Tinto Coal Australia manages all the operations below; including the
mines which were previously reported separately under the Coal & Allied
name.
(d) Rio Tinto reduced its shareholding in Hail Creek from 92.0% to 82.0% on
15 November 2004.
(e) Kennecott Energy has a partnership interest in the Colowyo mine but, as it
is responsible under a management agreement for the operation of the mine,
all of Colowyo's output is included in Rio Tinto's share of production.
(f) From mid 1995 until 30 March 2004, Rio Tinto held 23.93 million shares of
Freeport-McMoRan-Copper & Gold (FCX) common stock from which it derived a
share of production. This interest was sold to FCX on 30 March 2004. Also,
through a joint venture agreement with FCX, Rio Tinto is entitled, as shown
separately in the above tables, to 40% of additional material mined as a
consequence of expansions and developments of the Grasberg facilities since
1998.
(g) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 49% interest in Somincor on 18 June
2004. Production data are shown up to the date of sale.
(h) During September 2005, the conversion of debentures into ordinary shares
resulted in a slight dilution of Rio Tinto's shareholding in Palabora from
49.2% to 49.0%.
(i) Ore mining and processing at Murowa commenced during the third quarter of
2004.
(j) Kelian ceased processing ore on the 7 February 2005 and the final gold pour
was on 27 May 2005.
(k) Rio Tinto's share of gold production includes an estimate of the production
from the Lihir gold mine for the third quarter of 2005. The actual third
quarter production, which may be different from the figure in this report,
will be announced by Lihir Gold on 31 October 2005. The estimate in this
report is based on the indicative third quarter 2005 production as
previously disclosed in the Lihir Gold Limited's Second Quarter Mining and
Exploration Report (published 25 July 2005). Rio Tinto reached agreement
with Lihir Gold to relinquish its management agreement with Lihir,
effective from October 2005.
(l) Rio Tinto sold its interest in Morro do Ouro on the 31 December 2004.
Production data are shown up to the date of sale.
(m) As a result of the corporate restructuring completed on 8 July 2004, Rio
Tinto has ceased to be an ordinary shareholder in the renamed RioZim but
will retain a reduced cash participation in its gold and nickel assets for
a period of ten years.
(n) Rio Tinto's share of production includes 100% of the production from the
Eastern Range mine, which commenced production in March 2004. Under the
terms of the joint venture agreement, Hamersley Iron manages the operation
and is obliged to purchase all mine production from the joint venture.
(o) Rio Tinto sold its 19% interest in the Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Income
Fund on 23 March 2005. The Fund has a shareholding in Iron Ore Company of
Canada but this has not been included in the calculation of tonnage
attributable to Rio Tinto.
(p) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 100% interest in the Zinkgruvan mine
on 2 June 2004. Production data are shown up to the date of sale.
Where Rio Tinto's beneficial interest in an operation has changed, as indicated
above, the share of production has been calculated using the weighted average
interest over the relevant periods. Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is
at 30 September 2005.
RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA
Rio Tinto 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 9 MTHS 9 MTHS
interest 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004 2005
ALUMINIUM
Rio Tinto Aluminium
Weipa mine 100.0%
Queensland, Australia
Beneficiated bauxite production ('000 3,157 3,333 3,443 3,674 3,781 9,317 10,898
tonnes)
Metal grade bauxite shipments ('000 tonnes) 3,213 3,242 3,466 3,472 3,979 9,056 10,917
Calcined bauxite production ('000 tonnes) 45 44 32 42 34 125 108
Boke mine (a) 0.0%
Guinea
Bauxite production ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 5,773 -
Comalco Alumina Refinery (b) 100.0%
Queensland, Australia
Alumina production ('000 tonnes) - 175 196 228 191 - 616
Eurallumina refinery 56.2%
Sardinia, Italy
Alumina production ('000 tonnes) 275 274 264 267 267 790 798
Queensland Alumina refinery 38.6%
Queensland, Australia
Alumina production ('000 tonnes) 971 887 948 1,038 995 2,891 2,980
Anglesey Aluminium smelter 51.0%
United Kingdom
Primary aluminium production ('000 tonnes) 37.2 36.1 35.6 35.8 35.8 108.6 107.2
Bell Bay smelter 100.0%
Tasmania, Australia
Primary aluminium production ('000 tonnes) 38.2 41.2 42.8 43.5 43.9 120.9 130.2
Boyne Island smelter 59.4%
Queensland, Australia
Primary aluminium production ('000 tonnes) 135.8 135.8 132.5 136.1 137.9 404.8 406.4
Tiwai Point smelter 79.4%
New Zealand
Primary aluminium production ('000 tonnes) 88.7 88.6 85.4 87.7 90.2 261.7 263.3
Rio Tinto Aluminium share
Share of primary aluminium sales
('000 tonnes) 208.5 210.2 196.7 215.3 221.6 630.5 633.5
(a) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 4.0% interest in the Boke mine on 25
June 2004. Production data are shown up to the date of sale.
(b) Comalco Alumina Refinery started production in the fourth quarter of 2004.
BORATES
Rio Tinto Borax 100.0%
California, US and Argentina
Borates ('000 tonnes) (a) 153 137 122 146 141 428 409
(a) Production is expressed as B2O3 content.
Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 30 September 2005. The data
represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated.
RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA
Rio Tinto 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 9 MTHS 9 MTHS
interest 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004 2005
COAL
Kennecott Energy and Coal Company
Antelope mine 100.0%
Wyoming, US
Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 7,152 7,229 6,687 6,788 7,287 19,699 20,761
Colowyo mine (a)
Colorado, US
Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 1,494 1,412 1,315 1,315 1,219 4,376 3,848
Cordero Rojo mine 100.0%
Wyoming, US
Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 9,023 9,358 9,170 8,736 7,687 25,874 25,592
Decker mine 50.0%
Montana, US
Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 2,209 2,471 1,080 1,745 1,683 5,360 4,507
Jacobs Ranch mine 100.0%
Wyoming, US
Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 8,833 8,792 9,032 8,188 8,014 26,187 25,233
Spring Creek mine 100.0%
Montana, US
Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 2,791 3,046 2,497 3,018 3,243 7,845 8,758
Total coal production ('000 tonnes) 31,503 32,307 29,780 29,789 29,131 89,342 88,699
Total coal sales ('000 tonnes) 31,503 32,307 29,780 29,789 29,131 89,342 88,699
(a) Kennecott Energy has a partnership interest in the Colowyo mine but, as it
is responsible under a management agreement for the operation of the mine,
all of Colowyo's output is included in Rio Tinto's share of production.
Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 30 September 2005. The data
represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated.
RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA
Rio Tinto 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 9 MTHS 9 MTHS
interest 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004 2005
COAL (continued)
Rio Tinto Coal Australia (a)
Bengalla mine 30.3%
New South Wales, Australia
Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 1,737 975 1,430 1,274 1,208 4,337 3,912
Blair Athol Coal mine 71.2%
Queensland, Australia
Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 3,045 3,027 2,655 2,512 2,799 9,202 7,966
Hail Creek Coal mine (b) 82.0%
Queensland, Australia
Hard coking coal production ('000 tonnes) 1,496 1,264 1,386 1,492 1,473 3,840 4,351
Hunter Valley Operations 75.7%
New South Wales, Australia
Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 2,838 3,340 2,765 2,497 2,429 7,831 7,690
Semi-soft coking coal production ('000 689 308 570 530 555 1,790 1,656
tonnes)
Kestrel Coal mine 80.0%
Queensland, Australia
Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 216 76 200 283 179 548 662
Hard coking coal production ('000 tonnes) 867 361 957 912 683 2,298 2,552
Mount Thorley Operations 60.6%
New South Wales, Australia
Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 722 817 718 612 836 1,946 2,166
Semi-soft coking coal production ('000 258 129 268 458 261 656 986
tonnes)
Tarong Coal mine 100.0%
Queensland, Australia
Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 1,888 1,651 1,784 1,334 1,804 5,352 4,922
Warkworth mine 42.1%
New South Wales, Australia
Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 1,381 1,560 1,380 1,335 1,736 3,992 4,451
Semi-soft coking coal production ('000 tonnes) 479 239 50 145 85 1,163 280
Total hard coking coal production ('000 tonnes) 2,363 1,625 2,343 2,403 2,157 6,138 6,903
Total hard coking coal sales ('000 tonnes) 2,226 1,734 1,973 2,312 1,557 5,130 5,842
Total other coal production ('000 tonnes) (c) 13,254 12,122 11,821 10,979 11,891 36,817 34,691
Total other coal sales ('000 tonnes) (d) (e) 13,249 11,526 12,409 10,813 12,424 37,254 35,646
Total coal production ('000 tonnes) 15,616 13,748 14,164 13,382 14,048 42,954 41,595
Total coal sales ('000 tonnes) 15,475 13,260 14,382 13,126 13,981 42,384 41,489
Rio Tinto Coal Australia share
Share of hard coking coal sales ('000 tonnes) 1,948 1,481 1,608 1,881 1,268 4,506 4,757
Share of other coal sales ('000 tonnes) (d) (e) 8,882 7,767 8,306 7,241 8,399 25,037 23,946
(a) Rio Tinto Coal Australia manages all the operations below; the mines in New
South Wales were previously reported separately under the Coal & Allied
name.
(b) Rio Tinto reduced its shareholding in Hail Creek from 92.0% to 82.0% on
15 November 2004.
(c) Other coal production includes thermal coal and semi-soft coking coal.
(d) Other coal sales includes thermal coal, semi-soft coking coal and semi-hard
coking coal (a mixture of thermal coal and coking coal).
(e) Sales relate only to coal mined by the operations and exclude traded coal.
Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 30 September 2005. The data
represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated.
RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA
Rio Tinto 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 9 MTHS 9 MTHS
interest 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004 2005
COPPER & GOLD
Escondida 30.0%
Chile
Sulphide ore treated ('000 tonnes) 20,637 20,925 19,913 21,725 22,255 61,453 63,893
Average copper grade (%) 1.47 1.47 1.41 1.51 1.59 1.52 1.51
Mill production (metals in concentrates):
Contained copper ('000 tonnes) 256.8 265.1 241.1 277.8 304.4 780.5 823.3
Contained gold ('000 ounces) 53 51 55 44 42 166 140
Contained silver ('000 ounces) 1,347 1,424 1,446 1,462 1,682 4,323 4,590
Oxide ore treated ('000 tonnes) 3,996 4,282 4,236 4,218 4,214 11,361 12,669
Average copper grade (%) 0.87 0.96 0.99 0.85 0.82 1.06 0.89
Contained copper in leachate/mined material
('000 tonnes) 35 41 42 36 35 121 112
Refined production:
Oxide plant production ('000 tonnes) 38.0 38.5 37.9 37.2 34.1 113.6 109.2
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (a)
Grasberg mine 0.0% (40.0% of the expansion)
Papua, Indonesia
Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 17,845 21,142 17,946 19,271 19,899 46,608 57,116
Average mill head grades:
Copper (%) 0.83 1.17 1.14 0.98 1.06 0.73 1.06
Gold (g/t) 0.79 1.20 1.62 1.43 1.16 0.73 1.40
Silver (g/t) 3.74 4.32 5.26 4.54 4.36 3.63 4.70
Production of metals in concentrates:
Copper in concentrates ('000 tonnes) 129.7 223.1 183.5 164.1 185.5 293.2 533.1
Gold in concentrates ('000 ounces) 370 684 788 750 609 901 2,146
Silver in concentrates ('000 ounces) 1,199 1,956 1,805 1,576 1,662 3,081 5,042
Sales of payable metals in concentrates: (b)
Copper in concentrates ('000 tonnes) 127.9 213.1 173.0 164.4 179.9 282.5 517.3
Gold in concentrates ('000 ounces) 372 652 743 759 594 872 2,096
Silver in concentrates ('000 ounces) 943 1,490 1,358 1,257 1,284 2,367 3,898
(a) See note (f) on page 10 concerning Rio Tinto's previous direct interest in
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold and its continuing 40% interest in the
expansion of Grasberg.
(b) Net of smelter deductions.
Atlantic Copper smelter 0.0%
Spain
Concentrates and scrap smelted ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 187.1 -
Copper anodes produced ('000 tonnes) (c) - - - - - 57.5 -
Copper cathodes produced ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 58.4 -
Copper cathode sales ('000 tonnes) (d) - - - - - 50.8 -
(c) New metal excluding recycled material.
(d) Refers to copper cathode and wire rod sales.
Kelian Equatorial Mining (a) 90.0%
East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 2,057 2,141 826 - - 6,310 826
Average ore grades:
Gold (g/t) 1.56 2.15 1.68 - - 1.66 1.68
Silver (g/t) 3.90 4.61 2.29 - - 3.99 2.29
Production:
Gold ('000 ounces) 71 100 34 8 - 228 43
Silver ('000 ounces) 93 86 27 4 - 209 32
Sales:
Gold ('000 ounces) 76 19 90 10 - 259 100
Silver ('000 ounces) - - - 304 - 148 304
(a) Kelian ceased processing ore on the 7 February 2005 and the final gold pour
was on 27 May 2005. Mine closure programmes including reclamation,
rehabilitation and sustainable monitoring continue.
Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 30 September 2005. The data
represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated.
RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA
Rio Tinto 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 9 MTHS 9 MTHS
interest 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004 2005
COPPER & GOLD (continued)
Kennecott Minerals Company
Cortez/Pipeline mine 40.0%
Nevada, US
Ore treated
Milled ('000 tonnes) 794 759 823 868 759 2,334 2,449
Leached ('000 tonnes) 9,673 8,619 8,021 5,962 5,725 26,030 19,708
Sold for roasting ('000 tonnes) 107 109 42 72 90 314 203
Average ore grade: gold
Milled (g/t) 5.31 3.82 4.78 5.62 4.81 5.95 5.09
Leached (g/t) 0.70 0.66 0.67 0.60 0.49 0.73 0.60
Sold for roasting (g/t) 6.90 7.95 7.26 6.52 6.73 6.35 6.76
Gold produced ('000 ounces) 264 217 220 274 223 835 718
Greens Creek mine 70.3%
Alaska, US
Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 182 189 168 178 154 541 500
Average ore grades:
Gold (g/t) 5.43 4.95 5.46 5.22 4.71 5.83 5.15
Silver (g/t) 619 533 735 608 527 584 626
Zinc (%) 11.1 10.9 10.8 10.5 9.6 11.2 10.3
Lead (%) 3.9 3.9 4.3 4.1 3.6 4.1 4.0
Metals produced in concentrates:
Gold ('000 ounces) 21 20 21 20 15 66 56
Silver ('000 ounces) 2,580 2,368 3,016 2,557 1,869 7,339 7,442
Zinc ('000 tonnes) 15.3 16.6 14.2 14.7 11.6 46.2 40.5
Lead ('000 tonnes) 4.8 4.8 4.8 4.7 3.5 15.0 13.1
Rawhide mine (a) 51.0%
Nevada, US
Metals produced in dore:
Gold ('000 ounces) 11 12 11 9 7 38 27
Silver ('000 ounces) 111 121 103 88 63 341 254
(a) Mining operations were completed in October 2002 and processing of
stockpiled ores was completed in May 2003. Residual gold and silver
production continues from the leach pads.
Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 30 September 2005. The data
represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated.
RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA
Rio Tinto 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 9 MTHS 9 MTHS
interest 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004 2005
COPPER & GOLD (continued)
Kennecott Utah Copper
Barneys Canyon mine (a) 100.0%
Utah, US
Gold produced ('000 ounces) 5 5 4 4 4 16 13
(a) Mining operations ceased in the first quarter of 2002. Gold continues to be
recovered from leach pads.
Bingham Canyon mine 100.0%
Utah, US
Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 11,943 12,219 11,664 11,757 11,875 33,493 35,295
Average ore grade:
Copper (%) 0.58 0.67 0.60 0.53 0.47 0.61 0.53
Gold (g/t) 0.26 0.38 0.42 0.35 0.34 0.26 0.37
Silver (g/t) 2.95 3.60 3.75 3.36 2.81 2.84 3.30
Molybdenum (%) 0.028 0.055 0.063 0.057 0.052 0.025 0.057
Copper concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 276 291 243 231 193 815 667
Average concentrate grade (% Cu) 22.8 25.3 25.5 24.4 26.0 23.3 25.3
Production of metals in copper concentrates:
Copper ('000 tonnes) (b) 63.3 73.9 62.1 56.7 50.2 189.8 169.0
Gold ('000 ounces) 72 109 115 95 92 200 302
Silver ('000 ounces) 947 1,121 1,140 1,050 884 2,462 3,074
Molybdenum concentrates produced ('000 tonnes): 2.8 5.3 7.1 6.3 7.6 7.6 20.9
Molybdenum in concentrates ('000 tonnes) 1.5 2.8 3.9 3.3 3.9 4.0 11.0
Kennecott smelter & refinery 100.0%
Copper concentrates smelted ('000 tonnes) 288 229 217 224 300 869 742
Copper anodes produced ('000 tonnes) (c) 66.1 54.8 50.4 43.1 68.6 184.7 162.1
Production of refined metal:
Copper ('000 tonnes) 63.1 61.6 57.2 41.5 68.1 185.2 166.8
Gold ('000 ounces) (d) 74 68 90 76 92 232 258
Silver ('000 ounces) (d) 854 944 755 1,138 830 2,400 2,723
(b) Includes a small amount of copper in precipitates.
(c) New metal excluding recycled material.
(d) Includes gold and silver in intermediate products.
Northparkes Joint Venture 80.0%
New South Wales, Australia
Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 1,270 1,306 1,300 1,360 1,372 3,702 4,032
Average ore grades:
Copper (%) 0.75 0.93 1.06 0.97 1.17 0.75 1.07
Gold (g/t) 0.66 0.59 0.46 0.43 0.47 0.69 0.45
Copper concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 21.7 25.5 30.2 33.7 39.5 57.5 103.3
Contained copper in concentrates:
Saleable production ('000 tonnes) 7.5 9.3 10.7 11.9 14.7 20.8 37.3
Sales ('000 tonnes) (a) 3.1 6.9 9.4 9.8 11.0 13.1 30.3
Contained gold in concentrates:
Saleable production ('000 ounces) 17.2 22.5 12.5 13.4 15.0 56.9 40.9
Sales ('000 ounces) (a) 11.4 18.1 15.5 9.0 10.6 41.8 35.2
(a) Rio Tinto's 80% share of material from the Joint Venture.
Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 30 September 2005. The data
represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated.
RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA
Rio Tinto 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 9 MTHS 9 MTHS
interest 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004 2005
COPPER & GOLD (continued)
Palabora (a) 49.0%
Palabora mine
South Africa
Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 2,345 2,314 2,156 2,459 2,572 6,343 7,187
Average ore grade: copper (%) 0.75 0.73 0.72 0.71 0.71 0.75 0.71
Copper concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 64.2 52.2 48.0 48.4 52.9 135.5 149.3
Average concentrate grade: copper (%) 27.7 30.6 29.3 32.2 31.3 28.4 31.0
Copper in concentrates ('000 tonnes) 17.8 16.0 14.1 15.6 16.6 38.4 46.2
Palabora smelter/refinery
New concentrate smelted on site ('000 59.0 67.0 75.2 71.7 75.2 186.5 222.2
tonnes)
New copper anodes produced ('000 tonnes) 14.4 17.3 20.0 19.4 22.7 49.9 62.0
Refined new copper produced ('000 tonnes) 16.2 16.2 18.7 19.0 22.1 51.3 59.8
By-products:
Magnetite concentrate ('000 tonnes) 144 165 201 189 267 409 657
Refined nickel sulphate (tonnes) 36 41 34 57 37 126 129
Vermiculite plant
Vermiculite produced ('000 tonnes) 53 51 48 54 53 143 155
(a) During September 2005, the conversion of debentures into ordinary shares
resulted in a slight dilution of Rio Tinto's shareholding, from 49.2% to
49.0%.
Rio Tinto Brasil Limitada
Morro do Ouro mine (a) 0.0%
Minas Gerais, Brazil
Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 4,409 4,163 - - - 13,179 -
Average ore grade: gold (g/t) 0.44 0.46 - - - 0.45 -
Refined gold produced ('000 ounces) 47.69 45.94 - - - 142.46 -
(a) Rio Tinto sold its interest in Morro do Ouro on 31 December 2004.
Production data are shown up to the date of sale.
Rio Tinto Zimbabwe (a)
Renco mine 0.0%
Zimbabwe
Ore treated ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 146 -
Average ore grade: gold (g/t) - - - - - 3.30 -
Total gold produced ('000 ounces) - - - - - 11 -
(a) As a result of the corporate restructuring completed on 8 July 2004, Rio
Tinto has ceased to be an ordinary shareholder in the renamed RioZim but
will retain a reduced cash participation in its gold and nickel assets for
a period of ten years.
Somincor (a)
Neves Corvo mine 0.0%
Portugal
Total ore treated ('000 tonnes) (b) - - - - - 878 -
of which, treated to extract tin ('000 - - - - - 13 -
tonnes)
Average ore grades:
Copper (%) - - - - - 6.04 -
Tin (%) - - - - - 1.93 -
Copper production:
Copper concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 198.3 -
Copper concentrate grade: copper (%) - - - - - 23.7 -
Copper in concentrates produced
('000 tonnes) - - - - - 46.9 -
Tin production:
Tin concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 0.2 -
Tin concentrate grade: tin (%) - - - - - 65.9 -
Tin in concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 0.1 -
(a) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 49% interest in Somincor on 18 June
2004. Production data are shown up to the date of sale.
(b) Total ore treated for both copper and tin production.
Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 30 September 2005. The data
represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated.
RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA
Rio Tinto 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 9 MTHS 9 MTHS
interest 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004 2005
DIAMONDS
Argyle Diamonds 100.0%
Western Australia
AK1 ore processed ('000 tonnes) 2,468 2,618 2,342 2,358 2,111 6,958 6,811
AK1 diamonds produced ('000 carats) 5,328 9,011 8,633 9,393 5,995 11,610 24,021
Diavik Diamonds 60.0%
Northwest Territories, Canada
Ore processed ('000 tonnes) 560 455 495 612 619 1,495 1,725
Diamonds recovered ('000 carats) 2,263 1,502 1,749 2,515 2,177 6,073 6,441
Murowa Diamonds (a) 77.8%
Zimbabwe
Ore processed ('000 tonnes) 4 27 29 28 49 4 106
Diamonds recovered ('000 carats) 3 44 66 67 61 3 194
(a) Ore mining and processing commenced during the third quarter of 2004.
IRON ORE
Hamersley Iron
Western Australia
Saleable iron ore production ('000 tonnes):
Paraburdoo, Mount Tom Price,
Marandoo, Yandicoogina and Brockman 100.0% 17,140 17,587 15,836 19,704 18,915 47,819 54,455
Channar 60.0% 2,705 2,187 2,540 2,185 2,284 7,572 7,010
Eastern Range (a) 1,050 1,272 1,295 1,831 1,897 1,698 5,024
Total production ('000 tonnes) 20,895 21,046 19,671 23,720 23,097 57,089 66,489
Total sales ('000 tonnes) (b) 19,822 20,913 20,024 21,885 22,387 55,598 64,297
(a) Rio Tinto owns 54% of the Eastern Range mine which commenced production in
March 2004. Under the terms of the joint venture agreement, Hamersley Iron
manages the operation and is obliged to purchase all mine
(b) Sales represent iron ore exported from Western Australian ports.
Iron Ore Company of Canada
Newfoundland & Labrador and Quebec in Canada
Carol Lake operations 58.7%
Saleable iron ore production:
Concentrates ('000 tonnes) 0 155 307 745 581 1,070 1,633
Pellets ('000 tonnes) 536 3,349 3,122 3,442 3,322 6,565 9,886
Sales:
Concentrate ('000 tonnes) 238 432 204 612 552 1,206 1,368
Pellets ('000 tonnes) 1,844 2,517 2,344 3,326 2,951 7,324 8,621
Rio Tinto Brasil
Corumba mine 100.0%
Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Saleable iron ore production ('000 tonnes) 352 375 377 372 371 926 1,121
(a)
(a) Production includes by-product fines.
Robe River Iron Associates
Pannawonica mine 53.0%
Western Australia
Saleable iron ore production ('000 tonnes) 7,643 7,610 7,333 7,574 8,076 22,360 22,983
Sales ('000 tonnes) 7,602 9,260 7,939 7,118 7,802 21,942 22,859
West Angelas mine 53.0%
Western Australia
Saleable iron ore production ('000 tonnes) 5,240 4,276 5,067 4,670 5,775 14,214 15,512
Sales ('000 tonnes) 5,784 4,764 4,932 4,469 5,902 14,462 15,303
Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 30 September 2005. The data
represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated.
RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA
Rio Tinto 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 9 MTHS 9 MTHS
interest 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004 2005
NICKEL
Rio Tinto Zimbabwe (a)
Empress Nickel refinery 0.0%
Zimbabwe
Production (tonnes) - - - - - 2,889 -
(a) As a result of the corporate restructuring completed on 8 July 2004, Rio
Tinto has ceased to be an ordinary shareholder in the renamed RioZim but
will retain a reduced cash participation in its gold and nickel assets for
a period of ten years.
SALT
Dampier Salt 64.9%
Western Australia
Salt production ('000 tonnes) 1,957 1,742 2,130 2,144 1,726 5,638 6,000
TALC
The Luzenac Group 100.0%
Australia, Europe, and North America
Talc production ('000 tonnes) 371 355 357 363 336 1,089 1,056
TITANIUM DIOXIDE FEEDSTOCK
Rio Tinto Iron & Titanium 100.0%
Canada and South Africa
(Rio Tinto share)
Titanium dioxide feedstock production
('000 tonnes) 296 319 321 328 327 873 976
URANIUM
Energy Resources of Australia Ltd
Ranger mine 68.4%
Northern Territory, Australia
Production (tonnes U3O8) 1,362 1,500 1,464 1,250 1,590 3,643 4,304
Rossing Uranium Ltd 68.6%
Namibia
Production (tonnes U3O8) 990 801 863 725 1,038 2,781 2,625
ZINC
Zinkgruvan Mining AB 0.0%
Sweden
Ore treated ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 335 -
Average ore grades:
Zinc (%) - - - - - 9.6 -
Lead (%) - - - - - 3.9 -
Silver (g/t) - - - - - 86 -
Production of zinc concentrate ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 53.5 -
Production of lead concentrate ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 15.8 -
Production of metal in concentrates:
Zinc ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 29.7 -
Lead ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 11.2 -
Silver ('000 ounces) - - - - - 651 -
(a) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 100% interest in the Zinkgruvan mine on
2 June 2004. Production data are shown up to the date of sale.
Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 30 September 2005. The data
represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated.
This information is provided by RNS
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