Rio Tinto is a multinational mining and resources group founded originally in 1873. It is the largest coal mining company in the world.^[1]

Since 1995, Rio Tinto has been a dual-listed company. Rio Tinto Limited, formerly known as Conzinc Riotinto of Australia (CRA), is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, with Rio Tinto plc (formerly RTZ) listed on the London Stock Exchange as well as New York Stock Exchange (under ticker RTP). The two companies are managed as a single economic unit by a unified board, with a share in either company entitling the owner to the same voting rights and dividend payouts. RTZ shareholders made up 76.7 percent of the new unified entity, which is primarily managed from London.

History

Both the firm Rio Tinto and its name come from southern Spain, where the Río Tinto (Spanish 'Red River') was the site of an ancient mine which supplied the Phoenicians, Ancient Greeks, Carthaginians and the Roman Empire.^[2] Its water is red-colored because of highly acidic pollution from acid mine drainage.

In 1873 N M Rothschild & Sons of London and de Rothschild Frères of Paris joined with other investors to acquire the Spanish government's money-losing Rio Tinto mines. The new owners restructured the company and turned it into a profitable business. From 1877 through 1891, the Rio Tinto mine was the world's leading producer of copper.^[3] By 1905, the Rothschild interest in Rio Tinto amounted to more than 30 percent. Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner served as chairmen for a period before World War One.

During the Spanish civil war (1936-39) Rio Tinto sold pyrites on credit which allowed General Franco to trade with Germany and finance the war against Republican Spain. British investment in Spain was also a major consideration for British non-intervention in Spain.^[4]

In 1962 the (British) Rio Tinto Company acquired a majority stake in Consolidated Zinc, an Australian company, and was renamed the Rio Tinto-Zinc Corporation (RTZ). The Australian company was renamed Conzinc Riotinto of Australia (CRA) but retained a separate corporate identity, with an increasing proportion of its shares being held by the Australian public.

The current dual listed company structure was created in 1995.

On November 14 2007 Rio Tinto bought Canadian aluminium company Alcan Inc. for $38.1 billion.^[5] Alcan's Chief Executive Dick Evans leads the new division, renamed Rio Tinto Alcan and its headquarters situated in Montreal.^[6]

On November 8, 2007, rival mining company BHP Billiton announced it was seeking to purchase Rio Tinto Group in an all share deal. This offer was rejected by the board of Rio Tinto as it "significantly undervalues" the company. Another attempt by BHP Billiton for a hostile takeover valuing it at US$147 billion was rejected on the same grounds. Meanwhile, the Chinese Government-owned resources group Chinalco and the US aluminium producer Alcoa purchased 12 per cent of Rio Tinto's London-listed shares in a move that could block or severely complicate BHP Billiton's plans to buy its rival.^[7][8] In the six months from November 1 2007 to April 1 2008, Rio Tinto's daily closing NYSE share price increased 16% from US$361 to $420, soaring and dipping along the way between $478 and $331.^[9]

A takeover stake of up to 14.99% of Rio Tinto shares by Chinalco was approved by Australia, August 24, 2008.

On September 29, 2008, Rio Tinto announced a fifteen year naming rights deal to the new stadium of Major League Soccer side Real Salt Lake. The stadium, named Rio Tinto Stadium, is located in Sandy, Utah and accomodates just over 20,000 people. The deal is rumoured to be worth around $2 million per year for Real Salt Lake.^[10]

Resources

The group produces a number of mineral commodities in its various divisions:

Iron ore

Rio Tinto wholly owns Hamersley Iron, which owns and operates a number of mines in Western Australia either wholly or jointly with several partners. Its partners on some projects notably include several Chinese corporations.

Rio Tinto also owns 53% of Robe River Iron Associates and 59% of the Iron Ore Company of Canada. Iron made up 18% of revenue in 2003 and was responsible for 36% of the group's profit. It is the world's second-largest producer of iron ore. Future iron ore mines are being developed at Simandou in Guinea.

Copper

The copper division not only produces copper itself, but also a considerable quantity of gold from its mines in Australia, Indonesia, South Africa, Chile, and the United States, some as part of joint ventures. The group owns Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation. The copper group was responsible for 23% of turnover (of which 55% was copper and most of the remainder gold) and 32% of profits in 2003.

Energy

The company's energy group includes coal mining operations in Australia (Rio Tinto Coal Australia) and North America, and Energy Resources of Australia, which operates the Ranger Uranium Mine near Kakadu National Park in Australia. The energy group also operates the Rossing uranium mine in Namibia. This group contributed 20% of turnover and 11% of profit.

Industrial minerals

The Industrial minerals group extracts talc, titanium dioxide, salt, borax, amongst several others. These operations are scattered across Australia, the United States, and Africa. This group contributed 15% of turnover and 11% of earnings.

Bauxite

Rio Tinto owns Comalco, which mines bauxite (aluminium ore) in Weipa, Queensland, operates alumina refineries in Gladstone, Queensland. It also operates two aluminium smelters in Australia at Bell Bay (Tasmania) and Boyne Island (Queensland, 59% interest), and one in New Zealand at Tiwai Point (79% interest). The group also operates the Anglesey Aluminium smelter at Holyhead in the United Kingdom. This group contributed 16% of turnover and 14% of adjusted earnings. Rio Tinto now also owns Alcan; the Canadian based, hydro-powered aluminium operation.

Diamonds

The company's diamond operations are best known for the pink diamonds produced at the Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia, which produces over 90% of the world's supply of these gems and around 30% of the world's annual production of all natural diamonds. The company also owns 60% of and manages the Diavik Diamond Mine in Canada's Northwest Territories, and the Murowa diamond mine in Zimbabwe.

Rio Tinto lodged mining lease applications for its Bunder diamond project in India in a move it called a vital step in the development of what could be the first significant world class diamond mine in the country.

Rio Tinto announced the exploration target for diamond mineralisation at the Bunder project of 40-70 million tonnes at a grade of between 0.3 and 0.7 carats per tonne. The targeted diamond grades are at least three times greater than the grade of the Panna mine, India?s only other hard rock diamond mine.

Bunder Project is located in Village Nimani, Janpad Panchayat Buxwaha, Tehsil Bijawar, District, Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh) INDIA,

Other commodities

Rio Tinto owns the Borax company that produces borax and is famous for the "20 Mule Team" trademark which it shares with the Dial Corporation.

Rio Tinto also produces bauxite, gold, titanium, lead, zinc, cobalt, nickel and uranium.^[11]

Technology

The company also has a technology group conducting research and development, notably including the HIsmelt iron smelting process, and an exploration group.

Awards

Rio Tinto has also won an award for ethical behaviour, the Worldaware Award for Sustainable development.^[12] However, although this award was decided by an independent committee, it was, like some other WorldAware Awards, sponsored by another multinational corporation (in this case, the sponsor was Tate and Lyle). Rio Tinto has, in turn, sponsored its own WorldAware award, the Rio Tinto Award for Long-term Commitment,^[13] which was awarded to a variety of local and multinational players including in 1999 to Shell Pakistan.

Criticisms

Environmental, political, safety and labour rights concerns have been raised against Rio Tinto by both environmental groups and unions, in particular the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU). The CFMEU ran a campaign against the company which tried to de-unionise its workforce after the introduction of the Howard Government's Workplace Relations Act 1996.

Another has been Rio Tinto's involvement in Papua New Guinea which triggered the Bougainville separatist crisis.^[14] While RTZ has put a lot of energy into cleaning up its tainted human-rights image from the aftermath of crises like the above, many critics feel the company has not substantially changed.^[15]

Claims of severe environmental damages related to Rio Tinto's engagement in the Grasberg mine in Indonesia has led The Government Pension Fund of Norway to exclude Rio Tinto from its investment portfolio. The fund, which is said to be the second largest pension fund in the world, sold shares in the company at a value of NOK 4,85 bilion (US$ 855 million) in order to avoid the risk of contributing to environmental damages caused by the company.^[16]

References

External links

• Rio Tinto global corporate website
• Rio Tinto Coal Australia (RTCA) corporate website
• MBendi Rio Tinto information page, including a detailed list of related companies and Rio Tinto activity worldwide

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