🕐21.04.15 - 00:54 Uhr

RIO TINTO RELEASES SOLID FIRST QUARTER PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE



 http://riotinto.msgfocus.com/q/13Vwu6jeoQe4fOQ7Kv7a9/wv Follow us http://riotinto.msgfocus.com/c/15Xue0gedXatr6kr3jXF4j6s 21 April 2015 Rio Tinto releases solid first quarter production performance Download pdf here http://riotinto.msgfocus.com/c/15Xug300BTL6SfqaAphPaXnV Rio Tinto chief executive Sam Walsh said “We continue to drive efficiency in all aspects of our business, which is reflected in our solid production performance during the first quarter.

By making best use of our high quality assets, low cost base and operating and commercial capability our aim is to protect our margins in the face of declining prices and maximise returns for shareholders throughout the cycle.” Highlights Global iron ore shipments of 72.5 million tonnes (Rio Tinto share 57.3 million tonnes) were nine per cent higher than in the first quarter of 2014.

Production of 74.7 million tonnes (Rio Tinto share 59.4 million tonnes) was a 12 per cent increase year on year. Record first quarter bauxite production was four per cent higher than the first quarter of 2014, primarily due to a strong performance at Weipa.

Aluminium production in the first quarter was in line with the same period of 2014, despite the partial shutdown at Kitimat, which continues to prepare for first hot metal at the modernised smelter by mid-2015. Mined copper production was 12 per cent higher than the fourth quarter of 2014, driven by higher throughput at Kennecott and Escondida.

Lower grades at Kennecott were the primary driver of the nine per cent decline compared with the first quarter of 2014. During the quarter, the Government of Mongolia and Rio Tinto formally celebrated the major milestone of Oyu Tolgoi shipping one million tonnes of concentrate. Higher first quarter coal production was primarily driven by improved production rates at Kestrel South following the longwall ramp-up, increased semi-soft production at Mount Thorley and Warkworth and higher thermal production at Hail Creek. Titanium dioxide production was 17 per cent lower than in the first quarter of 2014 as production continued to be optimised to align with market demand. All currency figures in this report are US dollars, and comments refer to Rio Tinto’s share of production, unless otherwise stated.

To allow production numbers to be compared on a like-for-like basis, production from asset divestments completed in 2014 have been excluded from Rio Tinto share of production data but assets sold in 2015 remain in comparisons. Contacts: Media Relations, EMEA / Americas Illtud Harri Office: +44 (0) 20 7781 1152 Mobile: +44 (0) 7920 503 600 David Outhwaite Office: +44 (0) 20 7781 1623 Mobile: +44 (0) 7787 597 493 David Luff Office: +44 (0) 20 7781 1177 Mobile: +44 (0) 7780 226 422 Media Relations, Australia / Asia Ben Mitchell Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3620 Mobile: +61 (0) 419 850 212 Bruce Tobin Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3612 Mobile: +61 (0) 419 103 454 Matthew Klar Office: +61 (0) 7 3625 4244 Mobile: +61 (0) 457 525 578 Media Relations, Canada Bryan Tucker Office: +1 (0) 514 848 8151 Mobile: +1 (0) 514 825 8319 Investor Relations, London John Smelt Office: +44 (0) 20 7781 1654 Mobile: +44 (0) 7879 642 675 David Ovington Office: +44 (0) 20 7781 2051 Mobile: +44 (0) 7920 010 978 Grant Donald Office: +44 (0) 20 7781 1262 Mobile: +44 (0) 7920 587 805 Investor Relations, Australia Natalie Worley Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3063 Mobile: +61 (0) 409 210 462 Rachel Storrs Office: +61 (0) 3 9283 3628 Mobile: +61 (0) 417 401 018 Galina Rogova Office: +86 21 6103 3550 Mobile: +86 152 2118 3942 Further information: If you have been forwarded this email, you may wish to sign up for our media releases http://riotinto.msgfocus.com/c/15Xui5JMZQlKjovU7uBZhBFo directly. Visit the corporate website http://riotinto.msgfocus.com/c/15Xuk8tznMWnKxBDEzW9ofWR Read our online magazine http://riotinto.msgfocus.com/c/15XuodX89G7ECPN6IKAtByvN If you have problems viewing images in Outlook, please add us to your safe list http://riotinto.msgfocus.com/c/15XuqgGUxCIi3YSQfPUDIcNg LEGAL INFORMATION - Copyright © 2015 Rio Tinto.

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