Rio Tinto 4QPR 2004

Rio Tinto PLC 19 January 2005 Fourth quarter 2004 operations review Overview • Fourth quarter production was strong across all the major products. • Operations at Comalco's new alumina refinery commenced three months ahead of schedule with the first shipment in November. • Hamersley produced and shipped record volumes of iron ore. • New operations in coking coal, diamonds and iron ore continued to perform well. • The signing of agreements formalising closer co-operation between Hamersley and Robe, the approval of further development at Diavik, and the purchase of the West Antelope coal reserves by Kennecott Energy took place in the quarter. • Strong markets continue to create opportunities to divest non-core assets. The sale of Rio Tinto's interest in the Morro do Ouro gold mine was completed in the fourth quarter. • The pre-tax charge for exploration and evaluation in 2004 was $60 million higher than in 2003 reflecting increased iron ore exploration in Western Australia and evaluation work on projects transferred to product groups during the year. All currency figures in this report are US dollars unless otherwise stated IRON ORE Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Q4 04 vs Q4 03 vs Q3 04 FY 04 vs FY 03 Hamersley 20,171 +7% +2% 74,231 +7% Robe River 6,299 -5% -8% 25,684 +7% IOC 2,058 -6% +554% 6,541 -22% _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Demand remained strong across the full product range, with all markets showing continued strength, particularly China. In late October, Rio Tinto and its Japanese partners in the Robe River Joint Venture signed agreements formalising closer co-operation between Hamersley Iron and Robe including the technical exchange initiatives announced earlier in the year. Hamersley Increased capacity at Yandicoogina and the ramp-up of Eastern Range underpinned a strong quarter, with record production and shipments. Including Channar tonnages, production lifted in the last quarter to a record 84 million tonnes per year rate. Robe River Production from West Angelas was lower than the previous quarter due to the timing of maintenance in advance of production ramp-up in 2005. Robe met sales expectations due to strong sales from Pannawonica which reflected increased shipments to China. Iron Ore Company of Canada Production progressively returned to normal during the quarter following the resolution of the industrial dispute which severely disrupted third quarter 2004 production. ENERGY US Thermal Coal Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Q4 04 vs Q4 03 vs Q3 04 FY 04 vs FY 03 Kennecott Energy 31,072 +9% +2% 117,734 +9% __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Production from all mines in 2004 was higher than in 2003. Demand was strong for the higher energy coals of Colowyo and Spring Creek. Kennecott Energy successfully bid for an additional 177 million tonnes of in-situ coal reserves at West Antelope at a cost of $146 million. Australian Coal Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Q4 04 vs Q4 03 vs Q3 04 FY 04 vs FY 03 Rio Tinto Coal Australia Hard coking coal 1,389 +46% -33% 6,760 +193% Other coal 3,868 -8% -9% 16,214 -2% _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Coal & Allied Other coal 4,387 +10% -4% 16,729 +9% _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Other coal includes thermal, semi-soft and semi-hard coking coal In response to strong demand for both thermal and coking coal, the Australian operations continued to operate generally at the capacity permitted by rail and port infrastructure in New South Wales and Queensland. Rio Tinto Coal Australia Full year production from the new Hail Creek coking coal mine was over five million tonnes and a capacity expansion to eight million tonnes was approved in the second half of the year. Production at Blair Athol was in line with previous quarters, but sales were lower due to the timing of shipments around the year end and congestion at the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal. Production at Kestrel was also lower than previous quarters due to a scheduled long wall changeover. Coal & Allied Production at Bengalla was lower than in previous quarters as mining progressed through an area with a higher strip ratio. Total production at Coal & Allied's other mines exceeded the previous quarter and the corresponding period of 2003. INDUSTRIAL MINERALS Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Q4 04 vs Q4 03 vs Q3 04 FY 04 vs FY 03 Borates 137 +2% -11% 565 +1% Titanium dioxide feedstock 319 +9% +8% 1,192 0% _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Fourth quarter and full year production of borates was slightly above the corresponding periods of 2003 reflecting improvement in some end use markets. Demand for boric acid remains strong. Full year production of titanium dioxide feedstock was in line with 2003. Demand for Rio Tinto Iron & Titanium's iron, steel, rutile and zircon co-products remained strong. ALUMINIUM Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Q4 04 vs Q4 03 vs Q3 04 FY 04 vs FY 03 Rio Tinto Aluminium Bauxite 3,333 +7% +6% 12,828 +4% Alumina 671 +28% +27% 2,231 +11% Aluminium 209.1 -1% -1% 836.5 +2% _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Increased bauxite production in the fourth quarter reflected the commissioning of the NeWeipa project in November 2004. QAL suffered an interruption to its power supply in October which reduced production by about 85,000 tonnes (33,000 tonnes Rio Tinto share), but otherwise enjoyed strong production for the balance of the year, reflecting high process stability. Production at Eurallumina and all the smelters was strong. The commissioning phase of the Comalco Alumina Refinery continued to go well. First shipments were made in November, three months ahead of schedule. COPPER Rio Tinto share of production _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Q4 04 vs Q4 03 vs Q3 04 FY 04 vs FY 03 Kennecott Utah Copper Mined copper (000 tonnes) 73.9 +3% +17% 263.7 -6% Refined copper (000 tonnes) 61.6 +3% -2% 246.7 +7% Mined gold (000 ozs) 114 +16% +48% 330 -3% Refined gold (000 ozs) 68 -16% -8% 300 -3% _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Escondida Mined copper (000 tonnes) 91.8 +31% +5% 362.1 +22% _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Grasberg JV Mined copper (000 tonnes) 24.0 +109% +162% 48.0 -56% Mined gold (000 ozs) 35 -64% +57% 83 -89% _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Kennecott Utah Copper Fourth quarter production of copper, gold and molybdenum in concentrates reflected higher grades. Copper anode production was adversely impacted by a ten day smelter maintenance shutdown in the fourth quarter. Escondida As in the third quarter, copper production from Escondida reflected lower copper grades. Due to improved processing rates, ore feed to the mill included lower grade material that was not in the original mine plan. Full year production reflects the return to the normal mine plan from the beginning of the year and an increase in mill throughput rates due to operational improvements. Grasberg Fourth quarter production of copper and gold was higher than the preceding three quarters as recovery from the material slippage in the fourth quarter of 2003 continued. Mill throughput rates improved and grades were higher as ore was sourced from the higher grade areas of the open pit. As required by the participation agreement, the metal strip, which determines the allocation of volumes between the joint venture partners, has been adjusted as a result of the 2003 material slippage. The table below sets out the adjustments for 2004 and 2005 agreed between Freeport and Rio Tinto based on Freeport's current expectations of 2005 Grasberg production. Rio Tinto's share of the insurance settlement relating to the slippage, which will be recognised in 2004 net earnings, is $30 million before tax. Copper (m lbs) 2004 2005 Original metal strip 1,052 1,082 Adjustment (178) 111 _______ _______ Adjusted metal strip 874 1,193 ======= ======= Gold (000 oz) 2004 2005 Original metal strip 1,657 1,695 Adjustment (280) 175 _______ _______ Adjusted metal strip 1,377 1,870 ======= ======= Rio Tinto has a 40% interest in production in excess of each year's metal strip Other copper operations Copper production from the Palabora underground mine improved but remained below design capacity. As previously announced, the balance sheet value of Palabora's copper assets is being assessed in light of the completion of a business review and the ongoing strength of the rand against the US dollar. The outcome of this assessment will be reflected in the financial results for the year ended 31 December 2004. Production from the new Northparkes Lift 2 continued to ramp up during the fourth quarter. DIAMONDS Rio Tinto share of production (000 carats) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Q4 04 vs Q4 03 vs Q3 04 FY 04 vs FY 03 Argyle 9,011 +8% +69% 20,620 -33% Diavik 901 +36% -34% 4,545 +98% _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Argyle Output from the Argyle open pit began to return to normal in the fourth quarter of 2004 following tight mining conditions earlier in the year which led to the processing of lower grade ore. Diavik Diavik continued to perform well. Production in the fourth quarter was lower than the two preceding quarters due to scheduled plant maintenance and the processing of lower grade material from the A154N pipe. The construction of a new dike and funding for the further study of the viability of underground mining, including the construction of an exploratory decline, were approved in December 2004. EXPLORATION AND EVALUATION Total pre-tax expenditure on exploration and evaluation charged to the profit and loss account in 2004 was $187 million compared with $127 million in 2003. Exploration drilling continued on copper targets in Peru, Turkey, Alaska and Utah. Diamond exploration continued in Canada, Botswana, India and Brazil. Iron ore exploration continued in the Hamersley Basin (Western Australia) and in west Africa. Exploration on coking coal opportunities continued in southern Africa, Australia and Canada. 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). ASSET DISPOSALS The sale to Nippon Steel of an eight per cent interest in the Hail Creek Joint Venture, and the increase in the combined share of the original participants, Marubeni Coal and Sumisho Coal Development, by two per cent was completed in the quarter. Rio Tinto will receive around $150 million for the sale of these interests in the Hail Creek Joint Venture together with the sale of a 47 per cent interest in the Beasley River iron ore deposit to its joint venture partners in Robe River. The sale of Rio Tinto's 51 per cent interest in Rio Paracatu Mineracao (RPM), the owner of the Morro do Ouro mine in Brazil, was completed on 31 December 2004. The consideration, which is subject to a working capital adjustment, was $260 million. The remaining price participation rights relating to copper production from Somincor, which was sold in the first half of the year, were themselves sold for $22 million. The sale of the Marcona copper deposit was completed in December 2004. Rio Tinto has received $13 million, of which $5 million has been re-invested in the purchaser, Chariot Resources. A further $7 million will be payable to Rio Tinto on the second anniversary of the transaction and further payments of up to $5 million are contingent on the development of a mine. For further information, please contact: LONDON AUSTRALIA Media Relations Media Relations Lisa Cullimore Ian Head Office: +44 (0) 20 7753 2305 Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3620 Mobile: +44 (0) 7730 418 385 Mobile: +61 (0) 408 360 101 Investor Relations Investor Relations Peter Cunningham Dave Skinner Office: +44 (0) 20 7753 2401 Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3628 Mobile: +44 (0) 7711 596 570 Mobile: +61 (0) 408 335 309 Richard Brimelow Susie Creswell Office: +44 (0) 20 7753 2326 Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3639 Mobile: +44 (0) 7753 783 825 Mobile: +61 (0) 418 933 792 Website: www.riotinto.com RIO TINTO PRODUCTION SUMMARY RIO TINTO SHARE OF PRODUCTION __________________________ ____________________ _______________________ QUARTER FULL YEAR % CHANGE __________________________ ____________________ _______________________ 2003 2004 2004 2003 2004 Q4 04 Q4 04 2004 Q4 Q3 Q4 vs vs vs Principal Commodities Q3 04 Q4 03 2003 __________________________ ____________________ _______________________ Alumina ('000 t) 526 530 671 2,014 2,231 27% 28% 11% Aluminium ('000 t) 211.7 210.4 209.1 816.6 836.5 -1% -1% 2% Borates ('000 t) 134 153 137 559 565 -11% 2% 1% Coal - hard coking coal ('000 t) 950 2,070 1,389 2,311 6,760 -33% 46% 193% Coal - other Australian/Indonesian ('000 t) 8,379 8,803 8,255 38,262 32,943 -6% -1% -14% Coal - US ('000 t) 28,417 30,398 31,072 108,177 117,734 2% 9% 9% Copper - mined ('000 t) 182.9 174.7 204.9 867.0 753.1 17% 12% -13% Copper - refined ('000 t) 90.2 82.5 81.1 349.1 332.6 -2% -10% -5% Diamonds ('000 cts) 8,968 6,688 9,946 33,272 25,202 49% 11% -24% Gold - mined ('000 ozs) 511 367 428 2,731 1,552 17% -16% -43% Gold - refined ('000 ozs) 81 74 68 308 300 -8% -16% -3% Iron ore ('000 t) 27,997 27,307 28,903 102,613 107,757 6% 3% 5% Titanium dioxide feedstock ('000 t) 293 296 319 1,192 1,192 8% 9% 0% __________________________ ____________________ _______________________ Other Metals & Minerals __________________________ ____________________ _______________________ Bauxite ('000 t) 3,103 3,157 3,333 12,316 12,828 6% 7% 4% Lead - mined ('000 t) 14.2 3.4 3.4 47.6 25.1 0% -76% -47% Molybdenum ('000 t) 1.1 1.5 2.8 4.6 6.8 92% 155% 48% Nickel - refined (tonnes) 1,011 - - 3,474 1,619 - - -53% Salt ('000 t) 1,120 1,271 1,131 4,633 4,792 -11% 1% 3% Silver - mined ('000 ozs) 4,959 3,569 4,031 18,311 14,830 13% -19% -19% Silver - refined ('000 ozs) 653 854 944 2,963 3,344 11% 45% 13% Talc ('000 t) 321 371 354 1,357 1,443 -5% 11% 6% Tin (tonnes) 60 - - 100 59 - - -41% Uranium (tonnes) 1,406 1,610 1,575 5,158 5,974 -2% 12% 16% Zinc - mined ('000 t) 30.4 10.7 11.7 113.0 73.8 9% -62% -35% __________________________ ____________________ _______________________ 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 full year figures. RIO TINTO SHARE OF PRODUCTION Rio FULL FULL Tinto 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q YEAR YEAR interest 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2003 2004 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ALUMINA Production ('000 tonnes) Comalco Alumina Refinery (a) 100% - - - - 175 - 175 Eurallumina 56% 148 145 144 155 154 573 597 Queensland Alumina 39% 378 368 373 375 342 1,440 1,459 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total alumina production 526 514 517 530 671 2,014 2,231 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ALUMINIUM Refined production ('000 tonnes) Anglesey 51% 18.7 18.3 18.2 18.9 18.4 72.4 73.8 Bell Bay 100% 41.9 41.8 40.8 38.2 41.2 166.6 162.0 Boyne Island 59% 80.9 80.5 79.7 82.0 79.1 311.1 321.2 Tiwai Point 79% 70.2 69.5 68.3 71.2 70.4 266.5 279.5 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total aluminium production 211.7 210.1 207.0 210.4 209.1 816.6 836.5 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BAUXITE Production ('000 tonnes) Boke (b) 0% 58 121 58 - - 418 179 Weipa 100% 3,045 2,887 3,273 3,157 3,333 11,898 12,649 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total bauxite production 3,103 3,008 3,331 3,157 3,333 12,316 12,828 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BORATES Borates ('000 tonnes B2O3 content) Rio Tinto total borate production 100% 134 134 141 153 137 559 565 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COAL - HARD COKING Rio Tinto Coal Australia (c) ('000 tonnes) Hail Creek Coal (d) 82% 608 831 1,325 1,376 1,100 812 4,633 Kestrel Coal 80% 342 369 776 693 289 1,499 2,127 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total hard coking coal production 950 1,200 2,101 2,070 1,389 2,311 6,760 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COAL - OTHER * Australian coal operations ('000 tonnes) Coal & Allied Industries Bengalla 30% 608 325 462 526 295 1,879 1,609 Hunter Valley Operations 76% 2,272 1,988 2,625 2,671 2,762 9,091 10,046 Mount Thorley Operations 61% 491 407 576 593 573 1,910 2,149 Warkworth 42% 616 612 774 783 757 2,469 2,926 Rio Tinto Coal Australia (b) Blair Athol Coal 71% 2,197 2,180 2,206 2,169 2,157 8,890 8,712 Kestrel Coal 80% 292 98 167 173 61 1,159 499 Tarong Coal 100% 1,713 1,678 1,787 1,888 1,651 6,538 7,004 ______________________________________________________________ Total Australian other coal 8,189 7,287 8,597 8,803 8,255 31,935 32,943 ______________________________________________________________ Indonesian coal operations ('000 tonnes) Kaltim Prima Coal (e) 0% 191 - - - - 6,327 - US coal operations ('000 tonnes) Kennecott Energy Antelope 100% 6,795 5,919 6,628 7,152 7,229 26,806 26,928 Colowyo (f) 1,138 1,467 1,415 1,494 1,412 4,535 5,788 Cordero Rojo 100% 8,501 8,589 8,263 9,023 9,358 32,671 35,233 Decker 50% 1,203 514 1,062 1,104 1,235 3,679 3,916 Jacobs Ranch 100% 8,706 8,649 8,705 8,833 8,792 32,418 34,979 Spring Creek 100% 2,074 2,265 2,789 2,791 3,046 8,069 10,892 ______________________________________________________________ Total US coal 28,417 27,403 28,861 30,398 31,072 108,177 117,734 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total other coal production 36,797 34,690 37,459 39,201 39,327 146,439 150,677 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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, semi-soft coking coal and semi-hard coking coal. See footnotes on page 12. RIO TINTO SHARE OF PRODUCTION (continued) Rio FULL FULL Tinto 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q YEAR YEAR interest 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2003 2004 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COPPER Mine production ('000 tonnes) Alumbrera (g) 0% - - - - - 8.7 - Bingham Canyon 100% 71.6 62.5 64.0 63.3 73.9 281.8 263.7 Escondida 30% 70.1 83.8 99.1 87.5 91.8 297.8 362.1 Grasberg - FCX (h) 0% 7.7 5.5 - - - 84.5 5.5 Grasberg - Joint Venture (h) 40% 11.5 5.5 9.3 9.2 24.0 108.7 48.0 Neves Corvo (i) 0% 9.6 11.6 11.4 - - 38.0 23.0 Northparkes 80% 5.2 5.8 4.7 6.0 7.4 21.7 24.0 Palabora 49% 7.1 5.2 4.9 8.7 7.9 25.8 26.8 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total mine production 182.9 180.0 193.4 174.7 204.9 867.0 753.1 Refined production ('000 tonnes) Atlantic Copper (h) 0% 8.6 7.0 - - - 38.1 7.0 Escondida 30% 11.4 11.3 11.4 11.4 11.6 44.3 45.6 Kennecott Utah Copper 100% 59.9 60.3 61.7 63.1 61.6 230.6 246.7 Palabora 49% 10.3 8.8 8.5 8.0 8.0 36.1 33.2 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total refined production 90.2 87.4 81.6 82.5 81.1 349.1 332.6 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DIAMONDS Production ('000 carats) Argyle 100% 8,307 3,612 2,669 5,328 9,011 30,910 20,620 Diavik 60% 661 922 1,364 1,358 901 2,300 4,545 Merlin 100% - - - - - 62 - Murowa (j) 78% - - - 2 34 - 36 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total diamond production 8,968 4,534 4,033 6,688 9,946 33,272 25,202 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ GOLD Mine production ('000 ounces) Alumbrera (g) 0% - - - - - 31 - Barneys Canyon 100% 6 7 4 5 5 35 22 Bingham Canyon 100% 92 69 59 72 109 305 308 Cortez/Pipeline 40% 106 113 115 105 87 434 421 Escondida 30% 16 18 16 16 15 55 65 Grasberg - FCX (h) 0% 26 14 - - - 354 14 Grasberg - Joint Venture (h) 40% 96 6 19 22 35 722 83 Greens Creek 70% 17 16 16 15 14 70 61 Kelian 90% 74 69 73 64 90 422 295 Lihir (k) 14% 25 16 24 22 E 24 88 E 87 Morro do Ouro (l) 0% 26 25 23 24 23 103 96 Northparkes 80% 15 17 15 14 18 39 63 Peak (g) 0% - - - - - 20 - Rawhide 51% 8 7 7 6 6 32 25 Rio Tinto Zimbabwe (m) 0% 3 3 3 - - 14 6 Others - 2 2 2 1 1 7 7 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total mine production 511 381 376 367 428 2,731 1,552 ______________________________________________________________ Refined production ('000 ounces) Kennecott Utah Copper 100% 81 81 77 74 68 308 300 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ IRON ORE Production ('000 tonnes) Channar 60% 1,417 1,404 1,516 1,623 1,312 6,208 5,855 Corumba 100% 279 268 306 352 375 1,074 1,301 Eastern Range (n) - 3 645 1,050 1,272 - 2,970 Hamersley 100% 17,462 14,407 16,273 17,140 17,587 63,056 65,407 Iron Ore Company of Canada (o) 59% 2,191 1,969 2,199 315 2,058 8,353 6,541 Robe River 53% 6,649 5,447 7,110 6,828 6,299 23,922 25,684 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total mine production 27,997 23,499 28,048 27,307 28,903 102,613 107,757 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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 12. E = Estimated number. RIO TINTO SHARE OF PRODUCTION (continued) Rio FULL FULL Tinto 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q YEAR YEAR interest 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2003 2004 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ LEAD Mine production ('000 tonnes) Greens Creek 70% 4.1 3.3 3.9 3.4 3.4 15.8 13.9 Zinkgruvan (p) 0% 10.1 7.0 4.2 - - 31.8 11.2 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total mine production 14.2 10.3 8.1 3.4 3.4 47.6 25.1 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ MOLYBDENUM Mine production ('000 tonnes) Bingham Canyon 100% 1.1 1.6 0.9 1.5 2.8 4.6 6.8 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NICKEL Nickel in matte (tonnes) Fortaleza (q) 0% 1,524 - - - - 5,950 - Toll refined metal production (tonnes) Rio Tinto Zimbabwe - Empress (m) 0% 1,011 971 648 - - 3,474 1,619 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SALT Production ('000 tonnes) Dampier Salt 65% 1,120 1,133 1,257 1,271 1,131 4,633 4,792 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SILVER Mine production ('000 ounces) Bingham Canyon 100% 1,105 730 785 947 1,121 3,548 3,584 Escondida 30% 368 411 482 404 427 1,418 1,724 Grasberg - FCX (h) 0% 46 79 - - - 745 79 Grasberg - Joint Venture (h) 40% 466 13 53 135 583 1,126 784 Greens Creek 70% 2,035 1,761 1,584 1,813 1,664 8,226 6,821 Zinkgruvan (p) 0% 571 426 225 - - 1,841 651 Others - 366 346 336 270 235 1,407 1,187 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total mine production 4,959 3,766 3,465 3,569 4,031 18,311 14,830 ______________________________________________________________ Refined production ('000 ounces) Kennecott Utah Copper 100% 653 778 768 854 944 2,963 3,344 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TALC Production ('000 tonnes) Luzenac Group 99.9% 321 356 361 371 354 1,357 1,443 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TIN Mine production (tonnes) Neves Corvo (i) 0% 60 21 38 - - 100 59 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TITANIUM DIOXIDE FEEDSTOCK Production ('000 tonnes) Rio Tinto Iron & Titanium 100% 293 287 291 296 319 1,192 1,192 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ URANIUM Production (tonnes U3O8) Energy Resources of Australia 68% 858 809 751 931 1,026 3,512 3,517 Rossing 69% 548 622 607 679 549 1,647 2,457 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total uranium production 1,406 1,431 1,357 1,610 1,575 5,158 5,974 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ZINC Mine production ('000 tonnes) Greens Creek 70% 11.3 10.7 11.0 10.7 11.7 48.5 44.1 Zinkgruvan (p) 0% 19.1 19.2 10.5 - - 64.5 29.7 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto total mine production 30.4 29.9 21.5 10.7 11.7 113.0 73.8 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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. The nickel in matte production reflects the contained tonnage of nickel. See footnotes on page 12. RIO TINTO SHARE OF PRODUCTION (continued) 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 was previously known as Pacific Coal. (d) Rio Tinto reduced its shareholding in Hail Creek from 92.0% to 82.0% on 15 November 2004. (e) Rio Tinto had a 50% share in Kaltim Prima and, under the terms of its Coal Agreement, the Indonesian Government was entitled to a 13.5% share of Kaltim Prima's production. Rio Tinto's share of production shown is before deduction of the Government share. Rio Tinto completed the sale of its interest in PT Kaltim Prima Coal on 10 October 2003. Production data are shown up to the date of sale. (f) 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. (g) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 25% interest in Minera Alumbrera together with its wholly owned Peak Gold Mine on 17 March 2003. Production data are shown up to the date of sale. (h) 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. (i) 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. (j) Ore mining and processing at Murowa commenced during the third quarter of 2004. (k) Following a placement of shares on 13 November 2003, and a subsequent allotment of shares under a Share Purchase Plan on 23 January 2004, Rio Tinto's interest in Lihir changed from 16.3% to 14.5%. Rio Tinto's share of gold production includes an estimate of the production from the Lihir gold mine for the fourth quarter of 2004. The actual fourth quarter production, which may be different from the figure in this report, will be announced by Lihir Gold Ltd on 27 January 2005. The estimate in this report is based on subtracting the nine month production from the indicative full year 2004 production of 600,000 oz previously disclosed in the Managing Director's report to the Lihir Gold Ltd AGM 27 April 2004). (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 owns 19% of the Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Income Fund. 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. (q) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 100% interest in the Fortaleza nickel mine on 16 January 2004. The sale was effective from 1 January 2004. 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 31 December 2004. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL FULL Rio Tinto 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q YEAR YEAR interest 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2003 2004 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ALUMINIUM Rio Tinto Aluminium Weipa mine 100.0% Queensland, Australia Beneficiated bauxite production ('000 3,045 2,887 3,273 3,157 3,333 11,898 12,649 tonnes) Metal grade bauxite shipments ('000 tonnes) 3,160 2,981 2,861 3,213 3,242 11,415 12,298 Calcined bauxite production ('000 tonnes) 29 44 36 45 44 161 168 Boke mine (a) 0.0% Guinea Bauxite production ('000 tonnes) 3,648 2,812 2,961 - - 12,060 5,773 Comalco Alumina Refinery (b) 100.0% Queensland, Australia Alumina production ('000 tonnes) - - - - 175 - 175 Eurallumina refinery 56.2% Sardinia, Italy Alumina production ('000 tonnes) 263 258 256 275 274 1,021 1,064 Queensland Alumina refinery 38.6% Queensland, Australia Alumina production ('000 tonnes) 980 954 966 971 887 3,731 3,778 Anglesey Aluminium smelter 51.0% United Kingdom Primary aluminium production ('000 tonnes) 36.7 35.9 35.6 37.2 36.1 141.9 144.8 Bell Bay smelter 100.0% Tasmania, Australia Primary aluminium production ('000 tonnes) 41.9 41.8 40.8 38.2 41.2 166.6 162.0 Boyne Island smelter 59.4% Queensland, Australia Primary aluminium production ('000 tonnes) 133.8 134.7 134.3 135.8 135.8 520.9 540.5 Tiwai Point smelter 79.4% New Zealand Primary aluminium production ('000 tonnes) 87.9 87.1 86.0 88.7 88.6 334.4 350.3 Rio Tinto Aluminium share Share of primary aluminium sales ('000 tonnes) 213.1 203.5 218.5 208.5 210.2 820.0 840.7 (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) 134 134 141 153 137 559 565 (a) Production is expressed as B2O3 content. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 31 December 2004. The data represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL FULL Rio Tinto 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q YEAR YEAR interest 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2003 2004 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COAL Coal & Allied Industries Limited Bengalla mine 30.3% New South Wales, Australia Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 2,008 1,075 1,525 1,737 975 6,203 5,312 Hunter Valley Operations 75.7% New South Wales, Australia Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 2,620 2,255 2,738 2,838 3,340 9,146 11,172 Semi-soft coking coal production ('000 tonnes) 381 371 729 689 308 2,862 2,097 Mount Thorley Operations 60.6% New South Wales, Australia Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 433 514 710 722 817 1,720 2,762 Semi-soft coking coal production ('000 tonnes) 377 158 240 258 129 1,432 785 Warkworth mine 42.1% New South Wales, Australia Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 1,371 1,217 1,394 1,381 1,560 5,369 5,552 Semi-soft coking coal production ('000 tonnes) 93 237 447 479 239 500 1,403 ______________________________________________________________ Total coal production ('000 tonnes) 7,284 5,826 7,784 8,105 7,368 27,232 29,083 ______________________________________________________________ Total coal sales ('000 tonnes) (a) 7,278 6,424 7,486 7,931 6,835 27,887 28,677 ______________________________________________________________ Coal & Allied Industries share ______________________________________________________________ Share of coal production ('000 tonnes) 5,266 4,401 5,861 6,040 5,795 20,272 22,097 ______________________________________________________________ Share of coal sales ('000 tonnes) (a) 5,456 4,776 5,669 6,002 5,120 21,084 21,566 ______________________________________________________________ (a) Sales relate only to coal mined by the operations and exclude traded coal. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Kaltim Prima Coal (a) Indonesia 0.0% Thermal coal: Production ('000 tonnes) 381 - - - - 12,655 - Shipments ('000 tonnes) 309 - - - - 12,810 - (a) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 50% interest in PT Kaltim Prima Coal on 10 October 2003. Production data are shown up to the date of sale. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Kennecott Energy and Coal Company Antelope mine 100.0% Wyoming, US Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 6,795 5,919 6,628 7,152 7,229 26,806 26,928 Colowyo mine (a) Colorado, US Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 1,138 1,467 1,415 1,494 1,412 4,535 5,788 Cordero Rojo mine 100.0% Wyoming, US Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 8,501 8,589 8,263 9,023 9,358 32,671 35,233 Decker mine 50.0% Montana, US Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 2,406 1,028 2,123 2,209 2,471 7,358 7,831 Jacobs Ranch mine 100.0% Wyoming, US Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 8,706 8,649 8,705 8,833 8,792 32,418 34,979 Spring Creek mine 100.0% Montana, US Thermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 2,074 2,265 2,789 2,791 3,046 8,069 10,892 ______________________________________________________________ Total coal production ('000 tonnes) 29,620 27,917 29,923 31,503 32,307 111,856 121,649 ______________________________________________________________ Total coal sales ('000 tonnes) 29,620 27,917 29,923 31,503 32,307 111,856 121,649 ______________________________________________________________ (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 31 December 2004. The data represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL FULL Rio Tinto 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q YEAR YEAR interest 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2003 2004 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COAL (continued) Rio Tinto Coal Australia (a) Blair Athol Coal mine 71.2% Queensland, Australia Thermal coal: Production ('000 tonnes) 3,084 3,060 3,097 3,045 3,027 12,480 12,229 Sales ('000 tonnes) 3,473 2,867 3,218 3,198 2,565 12,577 11,848 Hail Creek Coal mine (b) 82.0% Queensland, Australia Coking coal: Production ('000 tonnes) 661 903 1,441 1,496 1,264 883 5,104 Sales ('000 tonnes) 622 890 1,069 1,389 1,380 736 4,728 Kestrel Coal mine 80.0% Queensland, Australia Thermal coal: Production ('000 tonnes) 365 122 209 216 76 1,449 623 Sales ('000 tonnes) 177 - - - 63 889 63 Coking coal: Production ('000 tonnes) 427 462 970 867 361 1,873 2,659 Sales ('000 tonnes) 357 409 536 837 354 1,084 2,136 Semi-hard coking coal:(c) Sales ('000 tonnes) 461 225 258 300 249 1,739 1,033 Tarong Coal mine 100.0% Queensland, Australia Thermal coal: Production ('000 tonnes) 1,713 1,678 1,787 1,888 1,651 6,538 7,004 Sales ('000 tonnes) 1,749 1,744 1,781 1,819 1,814 6,620 7,159 ______________________________________________________________ Total coal production ('000 tonnes) 6,250 6,225 7,503 7,512 6,380 23,222 27,619 ______________________________________________________________ Total coal sales ('000 tonnes) 6,839 6,135 6,863 7,544 6,425 23,646 26,968 ______________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto Coal Australia share ______________________________________________________________ Share of coal production ('000 tonnes) 5,152 5,156 6,261 6,300 5,257 18,898 22,974 ______________________________________________________________ Share of coal sales ('000 tonnes) 5,591 5,113 5,693 6,286 5,372 19,227 22,463 ______________________________________________________________ (a) Rio Tinto Coal Australia was previously known as Pacific Coal. (b) Rio Tinto reduced its shareholding in Hail Creek from 92.0% to 82.0% on 15 November 2004. (c) Semi-hard coking coal is a mixture of thermal coal and coking coal. The product mix is customer dependent. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COPPER & GOLD Alumbrera (a) 0.0% Argentina Ore treated ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 7,053 - Average ore grades: Copper (%) - - - - - 0.54 - Gold (g/t) - - - - - 0.69 - Concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 130.9 - Copper in concentrates: Production ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 34.9 - Sales ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 37.0 - Production of gold in concentrates ('000 ounces) - - - - - 108 - Production of gold in dore ('000 ounces) - - - - - 16 - Total gold sales ('000 ounces) - - - - - 132 - (a) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 25% holding in Minera Alumbrera on 17 March 2003. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 31 December 2004. The data represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL FULL Rio Tinto 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q YEAR YEAR interest 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2003 2004 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COPPER & GOLD (continued) Escondida 30.0% Chile Sulphide ore treated ('000 tonnes) 18,299 19,619 21,197 20,637 20,925 70,347 82,378 Average copper grade (%) 1.31 1.48 1.61 1.47 1.47 1.43 1.51 Mill production (metals in concentrates): Contained copper ('000 tonnes) 197.1 239.6 284.2 256.8 265.1 847.0 1,045.6 Contained gold ('000 ounces) 52 58 55 53 51 184 217 Contained silver ('000 ounces) 1,227 1,370 1,606 1,347 1,424 4,728 5,747 Oxide ore treated ('000 tonnes) 3,537 3,179 4,186 3,996 4,282 13,702 15,643 Average copper grade (%) 1.03 1.25 1.10 0.87 0.96 1.06 1.03 Contained copper in leachate/mined material ('000 37 40 46 35 41 146 162 tonnes) Refined production: Oxide plant production ('000 tonnes) 38.0 37.7 37.9 38.0 38.5 147.6 152.1 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (a) Grasberg mine 0.0% (40.0% of the expansion) Papua, Indonesia Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 13,071 13,817 14,946 17,845 21,142 74,103 67,750 Average mill head grades: Copper (%) 0.77 0.50 0.82 0.83 1.17 1.09 0.87 Gold (g/t) 1.00 0.41 0.95 0.79 1.20 1.54 0.88 Silver (g/t) 4.26 3.09 4.01 3.74 4.32 4.03 3.85 Production of metals in concentrates: Copper in concentrates ('000 tonnes) 86.9 55.9 107.7 129.7 223.1 715.8 516.4 Gold in concentrates ('000 ounces) 369 135 395 370 684 3,262 1,584 Silver in concentrates ('000 ounces) 981 740 1,143 1,199 1,956 6,474 5,037 Sales of payable metals in concentrates: (b) Copper in concentrates ('000 tonnes) 85.5 53.0 101.7 127.9 213.1 693.0 495.6 Gold in concentrates ('000 ounces) 369 130 370 372 652 3,171 1,524 Silver in concentrates ('000 ounces) 763 563 862 943 1,490 4,994 3,857 (a) See note (h) on page 12 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 ('000 224.7 187.1 - - - 964.4 187.1 tonnes) Copper anodes produced ('000 tonnes) (c) 65.0 57.5 - - - 290.3 57.5 Copper cathodes produced ('000 tonnes) 62.0 58.4 - - - 247.1 58.4 Copper cathode sales ('000 tonnes) (d) 63.8 50.8 - - - 248.0 50.8 (c) New metal excluding recycled material. (d) Refers to copper cathode and wire rod sales. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Kelian Equatorial Mining 90.0% East Kalimantan, Indonesia Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 2,180 2,119 2,134 2,057 2,141 7,853 8,451 Average ore grades: Gold (g/t) 1.66 1.57 1.84 1.56 2.15 2.37 1.78 Silver (g/t) 4.40 3.94 4.12 3.90 4.61 4.90 4.15 Production: Gold ('000 ounces) 82 76 81 71 100 469 328 Silver ('000 ounces) 73 64 52 93 86 347 295 Sales: Gold ('000 ounces) 47 113 70 76 19 437 278 Silver ('000 ounces) - 148 - - - 299 148 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 31 December 2004. The data represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL FULL Rio Tinto 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q YEAR YEAR interest 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2003 2004 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COPPER & GOLD (continued) Kennecott Minerals Company Cortez/Pipeline mine 40.0% Nevada, US Ore treated Milled ('000 tonnes) 878 781 760 794 759 3,452 3,093 Leached ('000 tonnes) 6,161 9,246 7,110 9,673 8,619 17,468 34,649 Sold for roasting ('000 tonnes) 62 96 111 107 109 463 423 Average ore grade: gold Milled (g/t) 5.61 6.14 6.43 5.31 3.82 6.53 5.43 Leached (g/t) 0.78 0.77 0.73 0.70 0.66 0.90 0.71 Sold for roasting (g/t) 5.86 5.90 6.21 6.90 7.95 6.71 6.76 Gold produced ('000 ounces) 264 283 288 264 217 1,085 1,051 Greens Creek mine 70.3% Alaska, US Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 177 182 177 182 189 709 731 Average ore grades: Gold (g/t) 6.19 5.86 6.21 5.43 4.95 6.42 5.60 Silver (g/t) 671 572 560 619 533 675 571 Zinc (%) 11.8 10.7 11.9 11.1 10.9 12.3 11.1 Lead (%) 4.7 3.9 4.6 3.9 3.9 4.6 4.1 Metals produced in concentrates: Gold ('000 ounces) 24 23 23 21 20 99 86 Silver ('000 ounces) 2,897 2,506 2,254 2,580 2,368 11,707 9,707 Zinc ('000 tonnes) 16.1 15.3 15.6 15.3 16.6 69.1 62.7 Lead ('000 tonnes) 5.9 4.6 5.6 4.8 4.8 22.5 19.8 Rawhide mine (a) 51.0% Nevada, US Ore treated ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 1,614 - Average ore grades: Gold (g/t) - - - - - 0.51 - Silver (g/t) - - - - - 9.4 - Metals produced in dore: Gold ('000 ounces) 15 13 13 11 12 64 50 Silver ('000 ounces) 114 108 122 111 121 530 462 (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 31 December 2004. The data represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL FULL Rio Tinto 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q YEAR YEAR interest 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2003 2004 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COPPER & GOLD (continued) Kennecott Utah Copper Barneys Canyon mine (a) 100.0% Utah, US Gold produced ('000 ounces) 6 7 4 5 5 35 22 (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) 11,988 10,497 11,054 11,943 12,219 46,105 45,712 Average ore grade: Copper (%) 0.64 0.64 0.62 0.58 0.67 0.67 0.63 Gold (g/t) 0.31 0.28 0.23 0.26 0.38 0.29 0.29 Silver (g/t) 3.53 2.74 2.81 2.95 3.60 3.02 3.04 Molybdenum (%) 0.038 0.027 0.019 0.028 0.055 0.027 0.033 Copper concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 280 262 277 276 291 1,147 1,106 Average concentrate grade (% Cu) 25.5 23.9 23.1 22.8 25.3 24.5 23.8 Production of metals in copper concentrates: Copper ('000 tonnes) (b) 71.6 62.5 64.0 63.3 73.9 281.8 263.7 Gold ('000 ounces) 92 69 59 72 109 305 308 Silver ('000 ounces) 1,105 730 785 947 1,121 3,548 3,584 Molybdenum concentrates produced ('000 tonnes): 2.2 3.0 1.8 2.8 5.3 8.8 12.9 Molybdenum in concentrates ('000 tonnes) 1.1 1.6 0.9 1.5 2.8 4.6 6.8 Kennecott smelter & refinery 100.0% Copper concentrates smelted ('000 tonnes) 286 279 301 288 229 1,060 1,098 Copper anodes produced ('000 tonnes) (c) 66.3 54.4 64.3 66.1 54.8 243.1 239.6 Production of refined metal: Copper ('000 tonnes) 59.9 60.3 61.7 63.1 61.6 230.6 246.7 Gold ('000 ounces) (d) 81 81 77 74 68 308 300 Silver ('000 ounces) (d) 653 778 768 854 944 2,963 3,344 (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) 1,263 1,275 1,157 1,270 1,306 5,168 5,008 Average ore grades: Copper (%) 0.71 0.78 0.71 0.75 0.93 0.67 0.79 Gold (g/t) 0.70 0.73 0.68 0.66 0.59 0.44 0.66 Copper concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 17.9 19.3 16.6 21.7 25.5 75.1 83.0 Contained copper in concentrates: Saleable production ('000 tonnes) 6.5 7.3 5.9 7.5 9.3 27.1 30.0 Sales ('000 tonnes) (a) 6.2 2.8 7.2 3.1 6.9 22.5 20.0 Contained gold in concentrates: Saleable production ('000 ounces) 18.7 21.0 18.7 17.2 22.5 48.6 79.4 Sales ('000 ounces) (a) 12.4 8.7 21.7 11.4 18.1 38.2 59.9 (a) Rio Tinto's 80% share of material from the Joint Venture. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 31 December 2004. The data represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL FULL Rio Tinto 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q YEAR YEAR interest 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2003 2004 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COPPER & GOLD (continued) Palabora 49.2% Palabora mine South Africa Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 2,838 2,101 1,897 2,345 2,314 11,415 8,657 Average ore grade: copper (%) 0.63 0.76 0.74 0.75 0.73 0.59 0.74 Copper concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 46.3 35.9 35.4 64.2 52.2 163.3 187.7 Average concentrate grade: copper (%) 31.3 29.7 28.3 27.7 30.6 32.1 29.0 Copper in concentrates ('000 tonnes) 14.5 10.7 10.0 17.8 16.0 52.4 54.4 Palabora smelter/refinery New concentrate smelted on site ('000 tonnes) 72.5 59.4 68.0 59.0 67.0 267.6 253.4 New copper anodes produced ('000 tonnes) 21.3 15.8 19.7 14.4 17.3 76.7 67.2 Refined new copper produced ('000 tonnes) 20.9 17.9 17.2 16.2 16.2 73.4 67.5 By-products: Magnetite concentrate ('000 tonnes) 68 105 160 144 165 215 574 Refined nickel sulphate (tonnes) 38 53 37 36 41 152 167 Vermiculite plant Vermiculite produced ('000 tonnes) 35.6 38.4 51.5 52.7 50.8 173.2 193.4 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Peak Gold Mine (a) 0.0% New South Wales, Australia Ore treated ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 144 - Average ore grades: Gold (g/t) - - - - - 5.23 - Silver (g/t) - - - - - 3.16 - Copper (%) - - - - - 0.13 - Lead (%) - - - - - 0.11 - Zinc (%) - - - - - 0.00 - Bullion produced ('000 ounces) - - - - - 23 - Containing: Gold ('000 ounces) - - - - - 20 - Silver ('000 ounces) - - - - - 3 - Gold recovered in concentrates ('000 ounces) - - - - - - - ______________________________________________________________ Total gold production ('000 ounces) - - - - - 20 - ______________________________________________________________ Bullion sales (fine gold) ('000 ounces) - - - - - 20 - (a) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its wholly owned Peak Gold Mine on 17 March 2003. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto Brasil Limitada Morro do Ouro mine (a) 0.0% Minas Gerais, Brazil Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 4,640 4,499 4,271 4,409 4,163 18,411 17,342 Average ore grade: gold (g/t) 0.43 0.45 0.46 0.44 0.46 0.44 0.45 Refined gold produced ('000 ounces) 51 50 45 48 46 201 188 (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 percentage interest shown above is at 31 December 2004. The data represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL FULL Rio Tinto 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q YEAR YEAR interest 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2003 2004 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COPPER & GOLD (continued) Rio Tinto Zimbabwe (a) Patchway mine (b) 0.0% Zimbabwe Ore treated ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 38 - Average ore grade: gold (g/t) - - - - - 2.13 - Total gold produced ('000 ounces) - - - - - 2 - Renco mine 0.0% Zimbabwe Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 61 61 85 - - 234 146 Average ore grade: gold (g/t) 3.56 3.13 3.43 - - 3.59 3.30 Total gold produced ('000 ounces) 6 5 6 - - 23 11 Total Rio Tinto Zimbabwe ______________________________________________________________ Total gold produced ('000 ounces) 6 5 6 - - 25 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. (b) Rio Tinto Zimbabwe completed the sale of the Patchway mine in July 2003. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Somincor (a) Neves Corvo mine 0.0% Portugal Total ore treated ('000 tonnes) (b) 447 448 430 - - 1,700 878 of which, treated to extract tin ('000 tonnes) 10 5 8 - - 22 13 Average ore grades: Copper (%) 5.15 6.02 6.07 - - 5.33 6.04 Tin (%) 2.46 2.15 1.80 - - 2.16 1.93 Copper production: Copper concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 84.0 100.1 98.3 - - 329.6 198.3 Copper concentrate grade: copper (%) 23.4 23.7 23.6 - - 23.5 23.7 Copper in concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 19.6 23.7 23.2 - - 77.5 46.9 Tin production: Tin concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 0.2 0.1 0.1 - - 0.3 0.2 Tin concentrate grade: tin (%) 64.3 63.9 67.1 - - 61.0 65.9 Tin in concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 0.1 0.0 0.1 - - 0.2 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. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DIAMONDS Argyle Diamonds 100.0% Western Australia AK1 ore processed ('000 tonnes) 2,372 2,066 2,424 2,468 2,618 9,787 9,576 AK1 Diamonds produced ('000 carats) 8,307 3,612 2,669 5,328 9,011 30,910 20,620 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Diavik Diamonds 60.0% Northwest Territories, Canada Ore processed ('000 tonnes) 300 394 541 560 455 1,194 1,950 Diamonds recovered ('000 carats) 1,101 1,537 2,273 2,263 1,502 3,833 7,575 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Merlin (a) 100.0% Northern Territory, Australia Ore processed ('000 tonnes) - - - - - 237 - Diamonds recovered ('000 carats) - - - - - 62 - (a) Ore mining and processing ceased during the second quarter of 2003. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Murowa Diamonds (a) 77.8% Zimbabwe Ore processed ('000 tonnes) - - - 4 27 - 30 Diamonds recovered ('000 carats) - - - 3 44 - 47 (a) Ore mining and processing commenced during the third quarter of 2004. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 31 December 2004. The data represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL FULL Rio Tinto 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q YEAR YEAR interest 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2003 2004 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ IRON ORE Hamersley Iron Western Australia Saleable iron ore production ('000 tonnes): Paraburdoo, Mount Tom Price, 100.0% Marandoo, Yandicoogina and Brockman 17,462 14,407 16,273 17,140 17,587 63,056 65,407 Channar 60.0% 2,361 2,341 2,526 2,705 2,187 10,347 9,759 Eastern Range (a) 54.0% - 3 645 1,050 1,272 - 2,970 ______________________________________________________________ Total production ('000 tonnes) 19,823 16,751 19,443 20,895 21,046 73,404 78,135 ______________________________________________________________ Total sales ('000 tonnes) (b) 19,987 17,664 18,112 19,822 20,913 74,333 76,512 ______________________________________________________________ (a) The Eastern Range mine commenced production in March 2004. (b) Sales represent iron ore exported from Western Australian ports (previously reported as Total shipments). ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Iron Ore Company of Canada Newfoundland & Labrador and Quebec in Canada Carol Lake operations 58.7% Saleable iron ore production: Concentrates ('000 tonnes) 706 462 608 0 155 2,648 1,225 Pellets ('000 tonnes) 3,026 2,892 3,137 536 3,349 11,577 9,914 Sales: Concentrate ('000 tonnes) 1,093 431 537 238 432 2,617 1,638 Pellets ('000 tonnes) 3,767 2,072 3,408 1,844 2,517 12,311 9,841 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto Brasil Corumba mine 100.0% Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil Saleable iron ore production ('000 tonnes) 279 268 306 352 375 1,074 1,301 (a) (a) Production includes by-product fines. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Robe River Iron Associates Pannawonica mine 53.0% Western Australia Saleable iron ore production ('000 tonnes) 8,035 6,281 8,437 7,643 7,610 32,034 29,970 Sales ('000 tonnes) 7,470 7,325 7,014 7,602 9,260 31,073 31,202 West Angelas mine 53.0% Western Australia Saleable iron ore production ('000 tonnes) 4,510 3,997 4,978 5,240 4,276 13,102 18,490 Sales ('000 tonnes) 4,350 4,742 3,937 5,784 4,764 12,785 19,226 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NICKEL Rio Tinto Brasil Fortaleza mine 0.0% Brazil Production (tonnes) 1,524 - - - - 5,950 - (a) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 100% interest in the Fortaleza nickel mine on 16 January 2004. The sale was effective from 1 January 2004. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto Zimbabwe (a) Empress Nickel refinery 0.0% Zimbabwe Production (tonnes) 1,804 1,733 1,156 - - 6,199 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) 1,725 1,745 1,936 1,957 1,742 7,135 7,380 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 31 December 2004. The data represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL FULL Rio Tinto 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q YEAR YEAR interest 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2003 2004 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TALC The Luzenac Group 99.9% Australia, Europe, and North America Talc production ('000 tonnes) 321 356 361 371 355 1,358 1,444 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TITANIUM DIOXIDE FEEDSTOCK Rio Tinto Iron & Titanium 100.0% Canada and South Africa (Rio Tinto share) Titanium dioxide feedstock production ('000 tonnes) 293 287 291 296 319 1,192 1,192 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ URANIUM Energy Resources of Australia Ltd Ranger mine 68.4% Northern Territory, Australia Production (tonnes U3O8) 1,255 1,183 1,098 1,362 1,500 5,134 5,143 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rossing Uranium Ltd 68.6% Namibia Production (tonnes U3O8) 799 907 885 990 801 2,401 3,582 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ZINC Zinkgruvan Mining AB 0.0% Sweden Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 227 196 139 - - 774 335 Average ore grades: Zinc (%) 9.3 10.6 8.1 - - 9.2 9.6 Lead (%) 5.3 4.2 3.6 - - 4.7 3.9 Silver (g/t) 105 95 77 - - 103 86 Production of zinc concentrate ('000 tonnes) 35.0 34.8 18.7 - - 117.0 53.5 Production of lead concentrate ('000 tonnes) 14.4 9.9 5.9 - - 45.8 15.8 Production of metal in concentrates: Zinc ('000 tonnes) 19.1 19.2 10.5 - - 64.5 29.7 Lead ('000 tonnes) 10.1 7.0 4.2 - - 31.8 11.2 Silver ('000 ounces) 571 426 225 - - 1,841 651 (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 31 December 2004. The data represent full production and sales on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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Rio Tinto (RIO)
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