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Released June 15, 2023 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)-- Rio Tinto plc (NYSE:RIO) (London, England) said this week it will invest US$1.1 billion to expand an aluminum smelter at its Jonquière site in Quebec, Canada. But Industrial Info is tracking a lot more projects by the global miner and metals producer, ranging from massive copper mines to lithium processing plants.
Click on the image at right for a graph showing Rio Tinto's project investments by world region.
Rio Tinto is planning the Jonquière site expansion to coincide with the gradual closure of potrooms at the Arvida smelter on the same site, starting in 2024, the company said in a Monday press release. A potroom is a building unit that houses a group of electrolytic cells in which aluminum is produced. The investment, which includes up to US$113 million in financial support from the government of Quebec, will add 96 new smelting pots, increasing capacity by about 160,000 metric tons of primary aluminum per year, enough for 400,000 electric cars, the company said. In addition, Rio Tinto will add 30,000 metric tons of new capacity through the commissioning of a recycling facility at Arvida in the first quarter of 2025.
Rio Tinto said its AP60 smelting technology, when combined with the hydropower used at Rio Tinto's Canadian operations, will generate one-seventh of the greenhouse gases per metric ton of aluminum when compared with the industry average, and half the emissions when compared to the technology currently used at the Arvida smelter. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for a detailed project report.
Rio Tinto also said the investment for the new smelter is already part of the company's capital expenditure guidance of US$9 billion to US$10 billion for both 2024 and 2025.
Another substantial project by the company is the Oyu Tolgoi Copper-Gold Mine Complex Underground Mine addition in Mongolia. The project involves the development of a 95,000-ton-per-day block-cave underground mine, including 200 kilometers of lateral underground tunnels and five vertical mining shafts, to expand the mine's capacity to 430,000 tons per year of copper and 495,000 ounces per year of gold. Earlier this year, Rio Tinto settled a long-standing tax-related dispute with the Mongolian government that allowed it to resume a major expansion. Subscribers can click here for the project report. For related information, see May 5, 2023, article - U.S. Copper Miners Race to Meet Surging Global Demand.
In Loznica, Serbia, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto is reviewing plans for the grassroot, underground Jadar Lithium-Borates Mine and Processing Plant. Upon its expected completion in late 2029, the operation would produce 58,000 metric tons per year of lithium carbonate, 160,000 metric tons per year of boric acid and 255,000 metric tons per year of sodium sulphate. Subscribers can click here for the project report.
In Utah, construction is underway on the second phase of Rio Tinto's Bingham Canyon Above-Ground Copper Mine upgrades. As part of a multi-stage effort, the life of the mine will be extended to 2032 by pushing back and deepening the south wall into a new area of orebody to deliver an additional million tons of refined copper between 2026 and 2032. Subscribers can click here for the project report.
Subscribers can click here for a list of projects mentioned in this article and click here for a list of the related plant profiles.
In all, Industrial Info is tracking 86 projects by Rio Tinto, worth US$25.79 billion. Subscribers can click here for a list of detailed project reports.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
Rio Tinto is planning the Jonquière site expansion to coincide with the gradual closure of potrooms at the Arvida smelter on the same site, starting in 2024, the company said in a Monday press release. A potroom is a building unit that houses a group of electrolytic cells in which aluminum is produced. The investment, which includes up to US$113 million in financial support from the government of Quebec, will add 96 new smelting pots, increasing capacity by about 160,000 metric tons of primary aluminum per year, enough for 400,000 electric cars, the company said. In addition, Rio Tinto will add 30,000 metric tons of new capacity through the commissioning of a recycling facility at Arvida in the first quarter of 2025.
Rio Tinto said its AP60 smelting technology, when combined with the hydropower used at Rio Tinto's Canadian operations, will generate one-seventh of the greenhouse gases per metric ton of aluminum when compared with the industry average, and half the emissions when compared to the technology currently used at the Arvida smelter. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for a detailed project report.
Rio Tinto also said the investment for the new smelter is already part of the company's capital expenditure guidance of US$9 billion to US$10 billion for both 2024 and 2025.
Another substantial project by the company is the Oyu Tolgoi Copper-Gold Mine Complex Underground Mine addition in Mongolia. The project involves the development of a 95,000-ton-per-day block-cave underground mine, including 200 kilometers of lateral underground tunnels and five vertical mining shafts, to expand the mine's capacity to 430,000 tons per year of copper and 495,000 ounces per year of gold. Earlier this year, Rio Tinto settled a long-standing tax-related dispute with the Mongolian government that allowed it to resume a major expansion. Subscribers can click here for the project report. For related information, see May 5, 2023, article - U.S. Copper Miners Race to Meet Surging Global Demand.
In Loznica, Serbia, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto is reviewing plans for the grassroot, underground Jadar Lithium-Borates Mine and Processing Plant. Upon its expected completion in late 2029, the operation would produce 58,000 metric tons per year of lithium carbonate, 160,000 metric tons per year of boric acid and 255,000 metric tons per year of sodium sulphate. Subscribers can click here for the project report.
In Utah, construction is underway on the second phase of Rio Tinto's Bingham Canyon Above-Ground Copper Mine upgrades. As part of a multi-stage effort, the life of the mine will be extended to 2032 by pushing back and deepening the south wall into a new area of orebody to deliver an additional million tons of refined copper between 2026 and 2032. Subscribers can click here for the project report.
Subscribers can click here for a list of projects mentioned in this article and click here for a list of the related plant profiles.
In all, Industrial Info is tracking 86 projects by Rio Tinto, worth US$25.79 billion. Subscribers can click here for a list of detailed project reports.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
