Coal & Allied - 2QPR 2006

Rio Tinto PLC
19 July 2006

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





Coal & Allied production report for the quarter ended 30 June 2006

                                          CNA       2Q       3Q        4Q        1Q        2Q        1H        1H

'000 tonnes (100% basis)             Interest     2005     2005      2005      2006      2006      2005      2006

Hunter Valley Operations                 100%
Thermal coal production                          2,497    2,429     2,651     2,386     3,136     5,262     5,522
Semi-soft coking coal production                   530      555       378       419       350     1,101       769

Mount Thorley Operations                  80%
Thermal coal production                            612      836       529       969       582     1,330     1,551
Semi-soft coking coal production                   458      261       281       291       325       725       615

Bengalla Mine                             40%
Thermal coal production                          1,274    1,208     2,053      1088     1,406     2,704     2,494

Warkworth Mine                           55.6
Thermal coal production                          1,335    1,736     1,495     1,759     1,766     2,715     3,525
Semi-soft coking coal production                   145       85        67        11        96       195       107

Total coal production                            6,850    7,110     7,452     6,922     7,661    14,032    14,583

Total sales ('000 tonnes)(a)                     6,564    7,088     7,529     7,306     6,850    14,424    14,156

Coal & Allied share:
Share of coal production                         5,214    5,357     5,365     5,231     5,809    10,705    11,040
Share of coal sales                              5,002    5,351     5,573     5,528     5,116    11,204    10,643


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

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





Total coal production was 11 per cent higher than the previous quarter and 12
per cent higher than the corresponding period in 2005.  Production at Mount
Thorley Warkworth and Hunter Valley Operations aligned with the port and rail
allocation.  Production at Bengalla mine was higher than the previous two
quarters due to mining activity in more productive seams.



Coal & Allied's share of sales in the first half was lower than 2005, which is
in line with the shipment allocation set under the Port Waratah Coal Services
capacity balancing system.



There was no exploration activity during the quarter.





For further information, please contact:

LONDON                                               AUSTRALIA

Media Relations                                      Media Relations
Hugh Leggatt                                         Ian Head
Office:  [phone]                        Office:  [phone]
Mobile: [phone]                         Mobile: [phone]

Investor Relations                                   Investor Relations

Nigel Jones                                          Dave Skinner
Office: [phone]                         Office:  [phone]
Mobile: [phone]                         Mobile: [phone]


David Ovington                                       Susie Creswell
Office:  [phone]                        Office:  [phone]
Mobile: [phone]                         Mobile: [phone]



Website: www.riotinto.com






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