Rio Tinto to cut Yarwun output by 40% from next year
Diversified commodities group Rio Tinto will cut production at its Yarwun alumina refinery in Gladstone, Australia, by 40% from October next year, a move aimed at extending the operation’s life to 2035 while the company works on long-term tailings and modernisation options.
The refinery’s existing tailings facility is expected to reach capacity by 2031 at current output levels. The curtailment will give Rio Tinto an additional four years to test and develop technical solutions that could support further life extension.
Aluminium Pacific Operations MD Armando Torres said in a statement on Tuesday that the company had examined options for a second tailings facility for “a number of years”, but the scale of investment required was “substantial” and “not currently economically viable”.
The production cut will reduce yearly alumina output by about 1.2-million tonnes and affect about 180 roles. Rio Tinto said redeployment planning across its Gladstone operations was under way and would be prioritised throughout the transition.
The company noted there would be no impact on customer supply or on other operations, with bauxite mines and aluminium smelters continuing at full capacity.
Rio Tinto also said that it would continue to pursue alternative tailings solutions at Yarwun, including neutralisation and centrifuge-based dry tailings, and advance decarbonisation initiatives such as biofuel-based boiler replacements and the ARENA-supported Hydrogen calcination project.
Yarwun employs about 725 people and produces three-million tonnes a year of alumina for Rio Tinto’s smelters and international customers.
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