20th Apr 2005 07:00
Rio Tinto PLC20 April 2005 First quarter 2005 operations review • Production of most principal commodities was significantly above the comparative period of 2004. • Operations performed well in the first quarter, generally operating at, or near, capacity in order to take advantage of strong markets. • Record first quarter iron ore production at Hamersley Iron was 18 per cent above the weather affected first quarter of 2004. Production of both copper and gold from Grasberg was also significantly higher than the comparative period of 2004 when resources were focused on recovery from the 2003 material slippage. • New projects contributed to volume growth. Production of coking coal from Hail Creek was higher than the first and fourth quarters of 2004. Production from the new Comalco Alumina Refinery continued to grow following start up in the fourth quarter of 2004. • Strong markets continued to provide opportunities for disposal of non core assets. The sale of Rio Tinto's interest in the Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Income Fund realised $130 million. The transaction has no effect on Rio Tinto's 59 per cent interest in IOC. • Strong demand led to increased vessel queues at Australian ports, and some higher input costs. All currency figures in this report are US dollars unless otherwise stated IRON ORE Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes) Q1 05 vs Q1 04 vs Q4 04Hamersley 18,655 +18% -8%Robe River 6,572 +21% +4%IOC 2,014 +2% -2% The continuing strength of the global iron ore market was reflected in abenchmark price increase of 71.5 per cent, effective for the 2005 contract year. Hamersley Iron Midway through a significant expansion of its port and other productioninfrastructure, Hamersley reported record first quarter production andshipments. These totals were significantly above the corresponding quarter of2004, when operations were adversely affected by tropical cyclone Monty. Due toscheduled maintenance at Tom Price, Brockman and Paraburdoo this quarter,production was below the fourth quarter of 2004. Shipments were marginallylower. Robe River Production from West Angelas was above the fourth quarter of 2004 and productionfrom Pannawonica was below the fourth quarter of 2004 reflecting the timing ofscheduled maintenance. Production and shipments from both were above the weatheraffected first quarter of last year. Cape Lambert shipped a record 5.3 milliontonnes in March, including Yandi tonnages. Iron Ore Company of Canada Record first quarter pellet plant performance (plus eight per cent) lifted totalproduction two per cent above the corresponding quarter of last year. Thisincrease in production was reflected in a better overall sales mix, with ahigher proportion of pellets relative to concentrate. ENERGY US thermal coal Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes) Q1 05 vs Q1 04 vs Q4 04Kennecott Energy 29,240 +7% -6% Production was seven per cent above the first quarter of 2004 due to thecontinuing growth in production at Jacobs Ranch and stronger demand for thehigher energy coals of Spring Creek. Production from Antelope was 13 per centabove the first quarter of 2004, reflecting the introduction of new equipment.The fall in production relative to the last quarter of 2004 was primarily aresult of the rail network, reflecting lower train set presentation bycustomers. Australian coal Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes) Q1 05 vs Q1 04 vs Q4 04Rio Tinto Coal Australia Hard coking coal 1,902 +58% +37% Other coal 7,993 +10% -3% Total production was above the previous quarter and the comparative quarter of2004, while total sales also reflected the strong demand for both thermal andcoking coal. Shipments from Hail Creek and Blair Athol were affected by port congestion atDalrymple Bay (DBCT), with the ship queue peaking in March at 54 vessels and aconsequent impact on demurrage. At the end of March, the ship queue at Newcastlewas 17 vessels reflecting the continued success of the capacity allocationsystem. Production at Kestrel was significantly above both the first and last quartersof 2004, which were both affected by longwall changeovers. Production from New South Wales operations was above the weather affected firstquarter of 2004. The Rio Tinto board approved an enhanced Hail Creek expansion project. Theexpanded capacity of the project will remain at eight million tonnes per annum,but the enhancement will allow further expansions in line with market demand andport and rail capacity. The revised capital expenditure for the increase inannual capacity from six million tonnes to eight million tonnes, which alsoreflects an increase due to cyclical material and labour cost pressures, is $223million. INDUSTRIAL MINERALS Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes) Q1 05 vs Q1 04 vs Q4 04Borates 122 -9% -11%Titanium dioxide feedstock 321 +12% +1% Demand in end use markets continued to be robust. Titanium dioxide feedstockproduction increased at QIT and RBM in line with market demand. QIT's UpgradedSlag (UGS) expansion from 250,000 tonnes per year to 325,000 tonnes started upin March slightly ahead of schedule. Production of borates was affected byunusually prolonged wet weather at the boron mine in California. ALUMINIUM Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes) Q1 05 vs Q1 04 vs Q4 04Rio Tinto AluminiumBauxite 3,443 +14% +3%Alumina 710 +38% +6%Aluminium 208.3 -1% -0% Bauxite production increased following the commissioning of the NeWeipa projectin the fourth quarter of 2004 to meet the requirements of the new ComalcoAlumina Refinery (CAR). First quarter production from CAR was 196,000 tonnes as the plant continued toramp up. Production at QAL was above the fourth quarter of 2004, which wasaffected by a power interruption. Production at Eurallumina was slightly belowthe record levels achieved in the second half of 2004. All aluminium smelters continued to produce at, or close to, capacity. COPPER Rio Tinto share of production (000 tonnes) Q1 05 vs Q1 04 vs Q4 04Kennecott Utah Copper Mined copper (000 tonnes) 62.1 -1% -16% Refined copper (000 tonnes) 57.2 -5% -7% Molybdenum (000 tonnes) 3.9 +141% +37% Mined gold (000 ozs) 119 +57% +5% Refined gold (000 ozs) 90 +11% +32%Escondida Mined copper (000 tonnes) 84.9 +1% -8%Grasberg JV Mined copper (000 tonnes) 25.7 +364% +7% Mined gold (000 ozs) 159 +2472% +354% Kennecott Utah Copper Gold, molybdenum and silver grades were all higher than 2004 as previouslyforeshadowed, resulting in higher production. Production of copper in copperconcentrate was lower than 2004 because of lower copper grades. Second quarterrefined production will be adversely affected by a planned maintenance shutdownof the smelter, which may last up to three weeks. Escondida Mined copper production was below the fourth quarter of 2004 due to lower gradesin line with mine sequencing. Mill throughput was affected by a maintenanceshutdown and poor quality grinding media in February. Grasberg Following the recovery from the 2003 material slippage, production of copper andgold from the Grasberg mine was significantly above the first quarter of 2004.First quarter gold grades were well above the preceding quarters but coppergrades were marginally below the fourth quarter of 2004. Rio Tinto's share ofproduction has been calculated using the adjusted joint venture allocation,known as the metal strip, which was described in the fourth quarter 2004operations review. Other copper operations Mined production at Palabora was adversely affected by a scheduled two weekshutdown of one of the mine winders. At Northparkes, higher copper grades andlower gold grades reflected the increased proportion of ore being mined from thenew Lift 2 mine where production continues to ramp up. DIAMONDS Rio Tinto share of production (000 carats) Q1 05 vs Q1 04 vs Q4 04Argyle 8,633 +139% -4%Diavik 1,049 +14% +16% Argyle Production at Argyle continued at normal levels in the first quarter of 2005,substantially above the comparable quarter of 2004, when lower grade ore wasprocessed as a result of tight mining conditions. Diavik Production at Diavik was above the fourth quarter of 2004, which was largelyaffected by reduced grade due to a focus on A154N production. Ore processed inthe quarter was sourced evenly from the A154S and the lower grade A154N orebodies. EXPLORATION AND EVALUATION Pre-tax expenditure on exploration and evaluation charged to the profit and lossaccount in the first quarter was $30 million compared with $34 million in thefirst quarter of 2004. Exploration drilling continued on copper targets in Peru, Turkey and Argentina.Diamond exploration continued in Canada, Botswana, India and Brazil. Iron oreexploration continued in the Hamersley Basin (Western Australia) and in westAfrica. 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) andSimandou (iron ore, Guinea). ASSET DISPOSALS The sale of Rio Tinto's holding in the Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Income Fund(LIORIF) for cash consideration of $130 million was completed in the firstquarter of 2005. LIORIF has an equity interest of 15.1 per cent in, andreceives royalties from, the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC). The transactionhas no effect on Rio Tinto's 59 per cent interest in IOC. For further information, please contact: LONDON AUSTRALIAMedia Relations Media RelationsLisa Cullimore Ian HeadOffice: +44 (0) 20 7753 2305 Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3620Mobile: +44 (0) 7730 418 385 Mobile: +61 (0) 408 360 101Investor Relations Investor RelationsNigel Jones Dave SkinnerOffice: +44 (0) 20 7753 2401 Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3628Mobile: +44 (0) 7917 227 365 Mobile: +61 (0) 408 335 309Richard Brimelow Susie CreswellOffice: +44 (0) 20 7753 2326 Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3639Mobile: +44 (0) 7753 783 825 Mobile: +61 (0) 418 933 792 Website: www.riotinto.com RIO TINTO PRODUCTION SUMMARYRIO TINTO SHARE OF PRODUCTION QUARTER FULL YEAR % CHANGE 2004 2004 2005 2004 Q1 05 Q1 05 Q1 Q4 Q1 vs vsPrincipal Commodities Q4 04 Q1 04Alumina ('000 t) 514 671 710 2,231 6% 38%Aluminium ('000 t) 210.1 209.1 208.3 836.5 0% -1%Borates ('000 t) 134 137 122 565 -11% -9%Coal - hard coking coal ('000 t) 1,200 1,389 1,902 6,760 37% 58%Coal - other Australian ('000 t) 7,287 8,255 7,993 32,943 -3% 10%Coal - US ('000 t) 27,403 31,072 29,240 117,734 -6% 7%Copper - mined ('000 t) 180.0 204.9 188.2 753.1 -8% 5%Copper - refined ('000 t) 87.4 81.1 77.8 332.6 -4% -11%Diamonds ('000 cts) 4,534 9,946 9,734 25,202 -2% 115%Gold - mined ('000 ozs) 381 428 462 1,552 8% 21%Gold - refined ('000 ozs) 81 68 90 300 32% 11%Iron ore ('000 t) 23,499 28,903 27,618 107,757 -4% 18%Titanium dioxide feedstock ('000 t) 287 319 321 1,192 1% 12%Other Metals & MineralsBauxite ('000 t) 3,008 3,333 3,443 12,828 3% 14%Lead - mined ('000 t) 10.3 3.4 3.4 25.1 0% -67%Molybdenum ('000 t) 1.6 2.8 3.9 6.8 37% 141%Salt ('000 t) 1,133 1,131 1,383 4,792 22% 22%Silver - mined ('000 ozs) 3,766 4,031 4,020 14,830 0% 7%Silver - refined ('000 ozs) 778 944 755 3,344 -20% -3%Talc ('000 t) 356 354 357 1,443 1% 0%Uranium (tonnes) 1,431 1,575 1,593 5,974 1% 11%Zinc - mined ('000 t) 29.9 11.7 10.0 73.8 -14% -67% Throughout this report, figures in italics indicate adjustments made since thefigure 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 andthe full year figures. RIO TINTO SHARE OF PRODUCTION FULL Rio Tinto 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q YEAR interest 2004 2004 2004 2004 2005 2004ALUMINAProduction ('000 tonnes)Comalco Alumina Refinery (a) 100% - - - 175 196 175Eurallumina 56% 145 144 155 154 148 597Queensland Alumina 39% 368 373 375 342 366 1,459Rio Tinto total alumina production 514 517 530 671 710 2,231ALUMINIUMRefined production ('000 tonnes)Anglesey 51% 18.3 18.2 18.9 18.4 18.2 73.8Bell Bay 100% 41.8 40.8 38.2 41.2 42.8 162.0Boyne Island 59% 80.5 79.7 82.0 79.1 79.5 321.2Tiwai Point 79% 69.5 68.3 71.2 70.4 67.8 279.5Rio Tinto total aluminium production 210.1 207.0 210.4 209.1 208.3 836.5BAUXITEProduction ('000 tonnes)Boke (b) 0% 121 58 - - - 179Weipa 100% 2,887 3,273 3,157 3,333 3,443 12,649Rio Tinto total bauxite production 3,008 3,331 3,157 3,333 3,443 12,828BORATESBorates ('000 tonnes B2O3 content)Rio Tinto total borate production 100% 134 141 153 137 122 565COAL - HARD COKINGRio Tinto Coal Australia (c) ('000tonnes) Hail Creek Coal (d) 82% 831 1,325 1,376 1,100 1,136 4,633 Kestrel Coal 80% 369 776 693 289 766 2,127Rio Tinto total hard coking coal 1,200 2,101 2,070 1,389 1,902 6,760productionCOAL - OTHER *Rio Tinto Coal Australia (c) ('000tonnes) Bengalla 30% 325 462 526 295 433 1,609 Blair Athol Coal 71% 2,180 2,206 2,169 2,157 1,892 8,712 Hunter Valley Operations 76% 1,988 2,625 2,671 2,762 2,525 10,046 Kestrel Coal 80% 98 167 173 61 160 499 Mount Thorley Operations 61% 407 576 593 573 597 2,149 Tarong Coal 100% 1,678 1,787 1,888 1,651 1,784 7,004 Warkworth 42% 612 774 783 757 602 2,926Total Australian other coal 7,287 8,597 8,803 8,255 7,993 32,943Kennecott Energy ('000 tonnes) Antelope 100% 5,919 6,628 7,152 7,229 6,687 26,928 Colowyo (e) 1,467 1,415 1,494 1,412 1,315 5,788 Cordero Rojo 100% 8,589 8,263 9,023 9,358 9,170 35,233 Decker 50% 514 1,062 1,104 1,235 540 3,916 Jacobs Ranch 100% 8,649 8,705 8,833 8,792 9,032 34,979 Spring Creek 100% 2,265 2,789 2,791 3,046 2,497 10,892Total US coal 27,403 28,861 30,398 31,072 29,240 117,734Rio Tinto total other coal production 34,690 37,459 39,201 39,327 37,233 150,677COPPERMine production ('000 tonnes)Bingham Canyon 100% 62.5 64.0 63.3 73.9 62.1 263.7Escondida 30% 83.8 99.1 87.5 91.8 84.9 362.1Grasberg - FCX (f) 0% 5.5 - - - - 5.5Grasberg - Joint Venture (f) 40% 5.5 9.3 9.2 24.0 25.7 48.0Neves Corvo (g) 0% 11.6 11.4 - - - 23.0Northparkes 80% 5.8 4.7 6.0 7.4 8.6 24.0Palabora 49% 5.2 4.9 8.7 7.9 6.9 26.8Rio Tinto total mine production 180.0 193.4 174.7 204.9 188.2 753.1Refined production ('000 tonnes)Atlantic Copper (f) 0% 7.0 - - - - 7.0Escondida 30% 11.3 11.4 11.4 11.6 11.4 45.6Kennecott Utah Copper 100% 60.3 61.7 63.1 61.6 57.2 246.7Palabora 49% 8.8 8.5 8.0 8.0 9.2 33.2Rio Tinto total refined production 87.4 81.6 82.5 81.1 77.8 332.6 Mine production figures for metals refer to the total quantity of metal producedin concentrates or dore bullion irrespective of whether these products are thenrefined on-site. * Coal - other includes thermal coal and semi-soft coking coal. See footnotes on page 10. RIO TINTO SHARE OF PRODUCTION (continued) FULL Rio Tinto 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q YEAR interest 2004 2004 2004 2004 2005 2004DIAMONDSProduction ('000 carats)Argyle 100% 3,612 2,669 5,328 9,011 8,633 20,620Diavik 60% 922 1,364 1,358 901 1,049 4,545Murowa (h) 78% - - 2 34 52 36Rio Tinto total diamond production 4,534 4,033 6,688 9,946 9,734 25,202GOLDMine production ('000 ounces)Barneys Canyon 100% 7 4 5 5 4 22Bingham Canyon 100% 69 59 72 109 115 308Cortez/Pipeline 40% 113 115 105 87 88 421Escondida 30% 18 16 16 15 16 65Grasberg - FCX (f) 0% 14 - - - - 14Grasberg - Joint Venture (f) 40% 6 19 22 35 159 83Greens Creek 70% 16 16 15 14 15 61Kelian 90% 69 73 64 90 31 295Lihir (i) 14% 16 24 22 24 E 16 87Morro do Ouro (j) 0% 25 23 24 23 0 96Northparkes 80% 17 15 14 18 10 63Rawhide 51% 7 7 6 6 6 25Rio Tinto Zimbabwe (k) 0% 3 3 - - - 6Others - 2 2 1 1 2 7Rio Tinto total mine production 381 376 367 428 462 1,552Refined production ('000 ounces)Kennecott Utah Copper 100% 81 77 74 68 90 300IRON OREProduction ('000 tonnes)Channar 60% 1,404 1,516 1,623 1,312 1,524 5,855Corumba 100% 268 306 352 375 377 1,301Eastern Range (l) 3 645 1,050 1,272 1,295 2,970Hamersley 100% 14,407 16,273 17,140 17,587 15,836 65,407Iron Ore Company of Canada (m) 59% 1,969 2,199 315 2,058 2,014 6,541Robe River 53% 5,447 7,110 6,828 6,299 6,572 25,684Rio Tinto total mine production 23,499 28,048 27,307 28,903 27,618 107,757LEADMine production ('000 tonnes)Greens Creek 70% 3.3 3.9 3.4 3.4 3.4 13.9Zinkgruvan (n) 0% 7.0 4.2 - - - 11.2Rio Tinto total mine production 10.3 8.1 3.4 3.4 3.4 25.1MOLYBDENUMMine production ('000 tonnes)Bingham Canyon 100% 1.6 0.9 1.5 2.8 3.9 6.8NICKELToll refined metal production (tonnes)Rio Tinto Zimbabwe - Empress (k) 0% 971 648 - - - 1,619SALTProduction ('000 tonnes)Dampier Salt 65% 1,133 1,257 1,271 1,131 1,383 4,792SILVERMine production ('000 ounces)Bingham Canyon 100% 730 785 947 1,121 1,140 3,584Escondida 30% 411 482 404 427 434 1,724Grasberg - FCX (f) 0% 79 - - - - 79Grasberg - Joint Venture (f) 40% 13 53 135 583 118 784Greens Creek 70% 1,761 1,584 1,813 1,664 2,120 6,821Zinkgruvan (n) 0% 426 225 - - - 651Others - 346 336 270 235 209 1,187Rio Tinto total mine production 3,766 3,465 3,569 4,031 4,020 14,830Refined production ('000 ounces)Kennecott Utah Copper 100% 778 768 854 944 755 3,344 Mine production figures for metals refer to the total quantity of metal producedin concentrates or dore bullion irrespective of whether these products are thenrefined on-site, except for the data for iron ore which represent production ofsaleable quantities of ore plus pellets. See footnotes on page 10. E = Estimated number. RIO TINTO SHARE OF PRODUCTION (continued) FULL Rio Tinto 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q YEAR interest 2004 2004 2004 2004 2005 2004TALCProduction ('000 tonnes)Luzenac Group 99.9% 356 361 371 354 357 1,443TINMine production (tonnes)Neves Corvo (g) 0% 21 38 - - - 59TITANIUM DIOXIDE FEEDSTOCKProduction ('000 tonnes)Rio Tinto Iron & Titanium 100% 287 291 296 319 321 1,192URANIUMProduction (tonnes U3O8)Energy Resources of Australia 68% 809 751 931 1,026 1,001 3,517Rossing 69% 622 607 679 549 592 2,457Rio Tinto total uranium production 1,431 1,357 1,610 1,575 1,593 5,974ZINCMine production ('000 tonnes)Greens Creek 70% 10.7 11.0 10.7 11.7 10.0 44.1Zinkgruvan (n) 0% 19.2 10.5 - - - 29.7Rio Tinto total mine production 29.9 21.5 10.7 11.7 10.0 73.8 Mine production figures for metals refer to the total quantity of metal producedin concentrates or dore bullion irrespective of whether these products are thenrefined on-site. See footnotes below. Production data notes (a) Comalco Alumina Refinery started production in the fourth quarter of2004. (b) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 4.0% interest in the Boke mine on 25June 2004. Production data are shown up to the date of sale. (c) Rio Tinto Coal Australia manages all the operations below; including themines 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% on15 November 2004. (e) Kennecott Energy has a partnership interest in the Colowyo mine but, asit 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 sharesof Freeport-McMoRan-Copper & Gold (FCX) common stock from which it derived ashare 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 shownseparately in the above tables, to 40% of additional material mined as aconsequence of expansions and developments of the Grasberg facilities since1998. (g) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 49% interest in Somincor on 18 June2004. Production data are shown up to the date of sale. (h) Ore mining and processing at Murowa commenced during the third quarterof 2004. (i) Rio Tinto's share of gold production includes an estimate of theproduction from the Lihir gold mine for the first quarter of 2005. The actualfirst quarter production, which may be different from the figure in this report,will be announced by Lihir Gold on 26 April 2005. The estimate in this report isbased on the indicative first quarter production as previously disclosed in theLihir Gold Limited Fourth Quarter Mining and Exploration Report (published 27January 2005). (j) Rio Tinto sold its interest in Morro do Ouro on the 31 December 2004.Production data are shown up to the date of sale. (k) As a result of the corporate restructuring completed on 8 July 2004, RioTinto has ceased to be an ordinary shareholder in the renamed RioZim but willretain a reduced cash participation in its gold and nickel assets for a periodof ten years. (l) Rio Tinto's share of production includes 100% of the production fromthe Eastern Range mine, which commenced production in March 2004. Under theterms of the joint venture agreement, Hamersley Iron manages the operation andis obliged to purchase all mine production from the joint venture. (m) Rio Tinto sold its 19% of the Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Income Fund on 23March 2005. The Fund has a shareholding in Iron Ore Company of Canada but thiswas not included in the calculation of tonnage attributable to Rio Tinto. (n) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 100% interest in the Zinkgruvan mineon 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 indicatedabove, the share of production has been calculated using the weighted averageinterest over the relevant periods. Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above isat 31 March 2005. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA Rio FULL Tinto 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q YEAR interest 2004 2004 2004 2004 2005 2004ALUMINIUMRio Tinto AluminiumWeipa mine 100.0% Queensland, AustraliaBeneficiated bauxite production ('000 2,887 3,273 3,157 3,333 3,443 12,649tonnes)Metal grade bauxite shipments ('000 tonnes) 2,981 2,861 3,213 3,242 3,466 12,298Calcined bauxite production ('000 tonnes) 44 36 45 44 32 168Boke mine (a) 0.0%GuineaBauxite production ('000 tonnes) 2,812 2,961 - - - 5,773Comalco Alumina Refinery (b) 100.0%Queensland, AustraliaAlumina production ('000 tonnes) - - - 175 196 175Eurallumina refinery 56.2%Sardinia, ItalyAlumina production ('000 tonnes) 258 256 275 274 264 1,064Queensland Alumina refinery 38.6%Queensland, AustraliaAlumina production ('000 tonnes) 954 966 971 887 948 3,778Anglesey Aluminium smelter 51.0%United KingdomPrimary aluminium production ('000 tonnes) 35.9 35.6 37.2 36.1 35.6 144.8Bell Bay smelter 100.0%Tasmania, AustraliaPrimary aluminium production ('000 tonnes) 41.8 40.8 38.2 41.2 42.8 162.0Boyne Island smelter 59.4%Queensland, AustraliaPrimary aluminium production ('000 tonnes) 134.7 134.3 135.8 135.8 132.5 540.5Tiwai Point smelter 79.4%New ZealandPrimary aluminium production ('000 tonnes) 87.1 86.0 88.7 88.6 85.4 350.3Rio Tinto Aluminium shareShare of primary aluminium sales ('000 tonnes) 203.5 218.5 208.5 210.2 196.7 840.7 (a) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 4.0% interest in the Boke mine on 25June 2004. Production data are shown up to the date of sale. (b) Comalco Alumina Refinery started production in the fourth quarter of 2004 BORATESRio Tinto Borax 100.0%California, US and ArgentinaBorates ('000 tonnes) (a) 134 141 153 137 122 565 (a) Production is expressed as B2O3 content. Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 31 March 2005. The data represent full production and sales on a100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL Rio Tinto 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q YEAR interest 2004 2004 2004 2004 2005 2004COAL Kennecott Energy and Coal CompanyAntelope mine 100.0%Wyoming, USThermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 5,919 6,628 7,152 7,229 6,687 26,928Colowyo mine (a)Colorado, USThermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 1,467 1,415 1,494 1,412 1,315 5,788Cordero Rojo mine 100.0%Wyoming, USThermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 8,589 8,263 9,023 9,358 9,170 35,233Decker mine 50.0%Montana, USThermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 1,028 2,123 2,209 2,471 1,080 7,831Jacobs Ranch mine 100.0%Wyoming, USThermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 8,649 8,705 8,833 8,792 9,032 34,979Spring Creek mine 100.0%Montana, USThermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 2,265 2,789 2,791 3,046 2,497 10,892 Total coal production ('000 tonnes) 27,917 29,923 31,503 32,307 29,780 121,649Total coal sales ('000 tonnes) 27,917 29,923 31,503 32,307 29,780 121,649 (a) Kennecott Energy has a partnership interest in the Colowyo mine but, asit 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 March 2005. The data represent full production and sales on a100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL Rio Tinto 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q YEAR interest 2004 2004 2004 2004 2005 2004COAL (continued)Rio Tinto Coal Australia (a)Bengalla mine 30.3%New South Wales, AustraliaThermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 1,075 1,525 1,737 975 1,430 5,312Blair Athol Coal mine 71.2%Queensland, AustraliaThermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 3,060 3,097 3,045 3,027 2,655 12,229Hail Creek Coal mine (b) 82.0%Queensland, AustraliaHard coking coal production ('000 tonnes) 903 1,441 1,496 1,264 1,386 5,104Hunter Valley Operations 75.7%New South Wales, AustraliaThermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 2,255 2,738 2,838 3,340 2,765 11,172Semi-soft coking coal production ('000 371 729 689 308 570 2,097tonnes)Kestrel Coal mine 80.0%Queensland, AustraliaThermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 122 209 216 76 200 623Hard coking coal production ('000 tonnes) 462 970 867 361 957 2,659Mount Thorley Operations 60.6%New South Wales, AustraliaThermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 514 710 722 817 718 2,762Semi-soft coking coal production ('000 158 240 258 129 268 785tonnes)Tarong Coal mine 100.0%Queensland, AustraliaThermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 1,678 1,787 1,888 1,651 1,784 7,004Warkworth mine 42.1%New South Wales, AustraliaThermal coal production ('000 tonnes) 1,217 1,394 1,381 1,560 1,380 5,552Semi-soft coking coal production ('000 237 447 479 239 50 1,403tonnes) Total hard coking coal production ('000 1,365 2,410 2,363 1,625 2,343 7,763tonnes)Total hard coking coal sales ('000 tonnes) 1,299 1,605 2,226 1,734 1,973 6,864Total other coal production ('000 tonnes) 10,686 12,877 13,254 12,122 11,821 48,939(c)Total other coal sales ('000 tonnes) (d) (e) 11,260 12,744 13,249 11,526 12,409 48,780 Total coal production ('000 tonnes) 12,051 15,287 15,616 13,748 14,164 56,702Total coal sales ('000 tonnes) 12,560 14,349 15,475 13,260 14,382 55,644Rio Tinto Coal Australia shareShare of hard coking coal sales ('000 1,146 1,412 1,948 1,481 1,608 5,987tonnes)Share of other coal sales ('000 tonnes) (d) 7,582 8,572 8,882 7,767 8,306 32,804(e) (a) Rio Tinto Coal Australia manages all the operations below; the mines inNew South Wales were previously reported separately under the Coal & Alliedname. (b) Rio Tinto reduced its shareholding in Hail Creek from 92.0% to 82.0% on15 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 andsemi-hard coking coal (a mixture of thermal coal and coking coal). (e) Sales relate only to coal mined by the operations and exclude tradedcoal. Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 31 March 2005. The data represent full production and sales on a100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL Rio Tinto 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q YEAR interest 2004 2004 2004 2004 2005 2004COPPER & GOLDEscondida 30.0%ChileSulphide ore treated ('000 tonnes) 19,619 21,197 20,637 20,925 19,913 82,378Average copper grade (%) 1.48 1.61 1.47 1.47 1.41 1.51Mill production (metals in concentrates): Contained copper ('000 tonnes) 239.6 284.2 256.8 265.1 241.1 1,045.6 Contained gold ('000 ounces) 58 55 53 51 55 217 Contained silver ('000 ounces) 1,370 1,606 1,347 1,424 1,446 5,747Oxide ore treated ('000 tonnes) 3,179 4,186 3,996 4,282 4,236 15,643Average copper grade (%) 1.25 1.10 0.87 0.96 0.99 1.03Contained copper in leachate/mined material ('000 40 46 35 41 42 162tonnes)Refined production: Oxide plant production ('000 tonnes) 37.7 37.9 38.0 38.5 37.9 152.1Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (a)Grasberg mine 0% (40.0% of the expansion)Papua, IndonesiaOre treated ('000 tonnes) 13,817 14,946 17,845 21,142 17,946 67,750Average mill head grades: Copper (%) 0.50 0.82 0.83 1.17 1.14 0.87 Gold (g/t) 0.41 0.95 0.79 1.20 1.62 0.88 Silver (g/t) 3.09 4.01 3.74 4.32 5.26 3.85Production of metals in concentrates: Copper in concentrates ('000 tonnes) 55.9 107.7 129.7 223.1 183.5 516.4 Gold in concentrates ('000 ounces) 135 395 370 684 788 1,584 Silver in concentrates ('000 ounces) 740 1,143 1,199 1,956 1,805 5,037Sales of payable metals in concentrates: (b) Copper in concentrates ('000 tonnes) 53.0 101.7 127.9 213.1 173.0 495.6 Gold in concentrates ('000 ounces) 130 370 372 652 743 1,524 Silver in concentrates ('000 ounces) 563 862 943 1,490 1,358 3,857 (a) See note (f) on page 10 concerning Rio Tinto's previous direct interestin Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold and its continuing 40% interest in theexpansion of Grasberg. (b) Net of smelter deductions. Atlantic Copper smelter 0.0%SpainConcentrates and scrap smelted ('000 tonnes) 187.1 - - - - 187.1Copper anodes produced ('000 tonnes) (c) 57.5 - - - - 57.5Copper cathodes produced ('000 tonnes) 58.4 - - - - 58.4Copper cathode sales ('000 tonnes) (d) 50.8 - - - - 50.8 (c) New metal excluding recycled material. (d) Refers to copper cathode and wire rod sales. Kelian Equatorial Mining 90.0%East Kalimantan, IndonesiaOre treated ('000 tonnes) 2,119 2,134 2,057 2,141 826 8,451Average ore grades: Gold (g/t) 1.57 1.84 1.56 2.15 1.68 1.78 Silver (g/t) 3.94 4.12 3.90 4.61 2.29 4.15Production: Gold ('000 ounces) 76 81 71 100 34 328 Silver ('000 ounces) 64 52 93 86 27 295Sales: Gold ('000 ounces) 113 70 76 19 90 278 Silver ('000 ounces) 148 - - - - 148Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 31 March 2005. The data represent full production and sales on a100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL Rio Tinto 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q YEAR interest 2004 2004 2004 2004 2005 2004COPPER & GOLD (continued)Kennecott Minerals CompanyCortez/Pipeline mine 40.0%Nevada, USOre treated Milled ('000 tonnes) 781 760 794 759 823 3,093 Leached ('000 tonnes) 9,246 7,110 9,673 8,619 8,021 34,649 Sold for roasting ('000 tonnes) 96 111 107 109 42 423Average ore grade: gold Milled (g/t) 6.14 6.43 5.31 3.82 4.78 5.43 Leached (g/t) 0.77 0.73 0.70 0.66 0.67 0.71 Sold for roasting (g/t) 5.90 6.21 6.90 7.95 7.26 6.76Gold produced ('000 ounces) 283 288 264 217 220 1,051Greens Creek mine 70.3%Alaska, USOre treated ('000 tonnes) 182 177 182 189 168 731Average ore grades: Gold (g/t) 5.86 6.21 5.43 4.95 5.46 5.60 Silver (g/t) 572 560 619 533 735 571 Zinc (%) 10.7 11.9 11.1 10.9 10.8 11.1 Lead (%) 3.9 4.6 3.9 3.9 4.3 4.1Metals produced in concentrates: Gold ('000 ounces) 23 23 21 20 21 86 Silver ('000 ounces) 2,506 2,254 2,580 2,368 3,016 9,707 Zinc ('000 tonnes) 15.3 15.6 15.3 16.6 14.2 62.7 Lead ('000 tonnes) 4.6 5.6 4.8 4.8 4.8 19.8Rawhide mine (a) 51.0%Nevada, USMetals produced in dore: Gold ('000 ounces) 13 13 11 12 11 50 Silver ('000 ounces) 108 122 111 121 103 462 (a) Mining operations were completed in October 2002 and processing ofstockpiled ores was completed in May 2003. Residual gold and silver productioncontinues from the leach pads. Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 31 March 2005. The data represent full production and sales on a100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL Rio Tinto 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q YEAR interest 2004 2004 2004 2004 2005 2004COPPER & GOLD (continued)Kennecott Utah CopperBarneys Canyon mine (a) 100.0%Utah, USGold produced ('000 ounces) 7 4 5 5 4 22 (a) Mining operations ceased in the first quarter of 2002. Gold continues tobe recovered from leach pads. Bingham Canyon mine 100.0%Utah, USOre treated ('000 tonnes) 10,497 11,054 11,943 12,219 11,664 45,712Average ore grade: Copper (%) 0.64 0.62 0.58 0.67 0.60 0.63 Gold (g/t) 0.28 0.23 0.26 0.38 0.42 0.29 Silver (g/t) 2.74 2.81 2.95 3.60 3.75 3.04 Molybdenum (%) 0.027 0.019 0.028 0.055 0.063 0.033Copper concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 262 277 276 291 243 1,106Average concentrate grade (% Cu) 23.9 23.1 22.8 25.3 25.5 23.8Production of metals in copperconcentrates: Copper ('000 tonnes) (b) 62.5 64.0 63.3 73.9 62.1 263.7 Gold ('000 ounces) 69 59 72 109 115 308 Silver ('000 ounces) 730 785 947 1,121 1,140 3,584Molybdenum concentrates produced ('000 tonnes): 3.0 1.8 2.8 5.3 7.1 12.9 Molybdenum in concentrates ('000 tonnes) 1.6 0.9 1.5 2.8 3.9 6.8Kennecott smelter & refinery 100.0%Copper concentrates smelted ('000 tonnes) 279 301 288 229 217 1,098Copper anodes produced ('000 tonnes) (c) 54.4 64.3 66.1 54.8 50.4 239.6Production of refined metal: Copper ('000 tonnes) 60.3 61.7 63.1 61.6 57.2 246.7 Gold ('000 ounces) (d) 81 77 74 68 90 300 Silver ('000 ounces) (d) 778 768 854 944 755 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, AustraliaOre treated ('000 tonnes) 1,275 1,157 1,270 1,306 1,300 5,008Average ore grades: Copper (%) 0.78 0.71 0.75 0.93 1.06 0.79 Gold (g/t) 0.73 0.68 0.66 0.59 0.46 0.66Copper concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 19.3 16.6 21.7 25.5 30.2 83.0Contained copper in concentrates: Saleable production ('000 tonnes) 7.3 5.9 7.5 9.3 10.7 30.0 Sales ('000 tonnes) (a) 2.8 7.2 3.1 6.9 9.4 20.0Contained gold in concentrates: Saleable production ('000 ounces) 21.0 18.7 17.2 22.5 12.5 79.4 Sales ('000 ounces) (a) 8.7 21.7 11.4 18.1 15.5 59.9 (a) Rio Tinto's 80% share of material from the Joint Venture. Rio Tinto percentage interest shown above is at 31 March 2005. The data represent full production and sales on a100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL Rio Tinto 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q YEAR interest 2004 2004 2004 2004 2005 2004COPPER & GOLD (continued)Palabora 49.2%Palabora mineSouth AfricaOre treated ('000 tonnes) 2,101 1,897 2,345 2,314 2,156 8,657Average ore grade: copper (%) 0.76 0.74 0.75 0.73 0.72 0.74Copper concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 35.9 35.4 64.2 52.2 48.0 187.7Average concentrate grade: copper (%) 29.7 28.3 27.7 30.6 29.3 29.0Copper in concentrates ('000 tonnes) 10.7 10.0 17.8 16.0 14.1 54.4Palabora smelter/refineryNew concentrate smelted on site ('000 59.4 68.0 59.0 67.0 75.2 253.4tonnes)New copper anodes produced ('000 tonnes) 15.8 19.7 14.4 17.3 20.0 67.2Refined new copper produced ('000 tonnes) 17.9 17.2 16.2 16.2 18.7 67.5By-products:Magnetite concentrate ('000 tonnes) 105 160 144 165 201 574Refined nickel sulphate (tonnes) 53 37 36 41 34 167Vermiculite plantVermiculite produced ('000 tonnes) 38.4 51.5 52.7 50.8 48.1 193.4Rio Tinto Brasil LimitadaMorro do Ouro mine (a) 0.0%Minas Gerais, BrazilOre treated ('000 tonnes) 4,499 4,271 4,409 4,163 - 17,342Average ore grade: gold (g/t) 0.45 0.46 0.44 0.46 - 0.45Refined gold produced ('000 ounces) 50 45 48 46 - 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 Zimbabwe (a)Renco mine 0.0%ZimbabweOre treated ('000 tonnes) 61 85 - - - 146Average ore grade: gold (g/t) 3.13 3.43 - - - 3.30Total gold produced ('000 ounces) 5 6 - - - 11 (a) As a result of the corporate restructuring completed on 8 July 2004, RioTinto has ceased to be an ordinary shareholder in the renamed RioZim but willretain a reduced cash participation in its gold and nickel assets for a periodof ten years. Somincor (a)Neves Corvo mine 0.0%PortugalTotal ore treated ('000 tonnes) (b) 448 430 - - - 878 of which, treated to extract tin ('000 5 8 - - - 13tonnes)Average ore grades: Copper (%) 6.02 6.07 - - - 6.04 Tin (%) 2.15 1.80 - - - 1.93Copper production: Copper concentrates produced ('000 100.1 98.3 - - - 198.3tonnes) Copper concentrate grade: copper (%) 23.7 23.6 - - - 23.7 Copper in concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 23.7 23.2 - - - 46.9Tin production: Tin concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 0.1 0.1 - - - 0.2 Tin concentrate grade: tin (%) 63.9 67.1 - - - 65.9 Tin in concentrates produced ('000 0.0 0.1 - - - 0.1tonnes) (a) Rio Tinto completed the sale of its 49% interest in Somincor on 18 June2004. 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 31 March 2005. The data represent full production and sales on a100% basis unless otherwise stated. RIO TINTO OPERATIONAL DATA FULL Rio Tinto 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q YEARRelated Shares:
Rio Tinto