Rio Tinto has commissioned a new alumina conveyor at its BC Works smelter in Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada, marking a key milestone in its C$135 million investment to strengthen the reliability of its operations. The 1.1-kilometer system will transport approximately 800,000 tonnes of alumina per year, ensuring a steady supply of the raw material used in aluminum production. Designed with…
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American Ocean Minerals, Odyssey Marine to merge
In a move many have been watching for, a billion-dollar deep-sea mining deal has been made: American Ocean Minerals and Odyssey Marine Exploration have agreed to merge and create a U.S.-based deep‑sea minerals company. The combined firm will keep the American Ocean Minerals name. The transaction is still pending shareholder and regulatory approvals. The companies say the combined platform will…
Read MoreResolution Copper land swap finalized
Resolution Copper, a joint venture owned by BHP (45%) and Rio Tinto (55%), and the United States Forest Service (USFS) have completed a federal land exchange in Arizona, enabling the next phase of technical work and development planning for the Resolution Copper project, one of the most significant undeveloped copper resources in the United States. “The land exchange is an…
Read MoreFinal production at Diavik diamond mine
After 23 years of operations and more than 150 million carats of rough diamonds produced before exhausting its economic reserves, Rio Tinto’s Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories of Canada has celebrated its final day of production. “Forty years ago, there were very few people who believed there were diamonds in Canada – even fewer could have foreseen how…
Read MoreM&A and partnerships and pacts, oh my
The turn of a new year always seems to bring a lot of news; new financial years, the natural turn to another annual journey, and many other factors play into the resurgence of business that January 1 brings. With plenty of industry headwinds as we hung up a new calendar, the course seemed to shift, albeit slightly, and there has…
Read MoreFatality confirmed at Rio Tinto Kennecott
Rio Tinto announced the death of a contractor following an incident at the Bingham Canyon mine, part of the Kennecott complex outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 12. “We are devastated by the loss of our colleague, and our heartfelt sympathies are with their family, friends, teammates, and everyone in the Kennecott community. We are working closely with…
Read MoreRio Tinto ups Kennecott’s solar power capacity
Rio Tinto has confirmed it recently energized a new 25-megawatt solar plant at the Kennecott copper operations complex in Utah, showcasing a circular critical-minerals supply chain in which tellurium produced at the site is used to manufacture the panels now powering it. Together with the 5-MW solar plant completed in 2023, Kennecott now has 30MW of solar capacity. The move…
Read MoreAWS to use Nuton copper in data centers
Rio Tinto announced a two-year agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that will see AWS become Nuton Technology’s first customer following an industrial-scale deployment of the bioleaching technology at Gunnison Copper’s Johnson Camp mine last month. AWS will use the first Nuton copper ever produced in components of its U.S. data centers, while also providing cloud-based data and analytics support…
Read MoreArizona Sonoran signals end to Cactus project JV
Arizona Sonoran Copper Co. and Nuton, a Rio Tinto venture, have mutually agreed to commence discussions in January regarding an amicable early termination of the option to joint venture on the Cactus copper project in Arizona.
Read MoreRio Tinto produces first copper with Nuton technology
After more than 30 years of research and development, the first copper cathode using Rio Tinto’s Nuton technology, a proprietary bioleaching process that relies on microorganisms grown on site, was produced at Gunnison Copper’s Johnson Camp mine in Arizona last month. “This is a breakthrough achievement for our Nuton technology, which is proving that cleaner, faster, and more efficient copper…
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