Rio Tinto plc - RIO STOCK NEWS

Rio Tinto has officially opened Gudai-Darri, its most advanced iron ore mine, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. This significant project, which began development in April 2019, has created over 3,600 jobs, including 600 permanent roles. Gudai-Darri is expected to produce 43 million tonnes annually and enhance Rio Tinto's Pilbara Blend™ product. The mine integrates cutting-edge technology, such as autonomous trucks and remote monitoring from Perth. Furthermore, a solar farm will provide one-third of its energy needs, supporting sustainability efforts.

Rio Tinto has commenced ore production at the new Gudai-Darri iron ore mine in Western Australia, marking the company's first greenfield mine in over a decade. The mine, expected to produce 43 million tonnes annually, will enhance the company's Pilbara Blend product output. The project has created over 3,000 jobs during construction and will support 600 ongoing roles. Despite the $3.1 billion capital cost, production increases are anticipated in the second half of the year. Rio Tinto's full-year shipment guidance for 2022 remains at 320 to 335 million tonnes.

Rio Tinto has announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop large-scale wind and solar power in Queensland, aiming to power its aluminium assets and achieve climate goals. The initiative seeks to address the energy needs of its Gladstone operations, requiring 1140MW of reliable power, translating to 4000MW of renewable energy. This step supports Rio Tinto's targets to halve emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, aligning with its Statement of Co-operation with the Queensland Government.

Rio Tinto has launched recruitment campaigns aimed at increasing female participation in mining, attracting over 3,200 applications from women in Australia and New Zealand. The 'Transferable Pathways' campaign, which seeks women from diverse industries for operational roles, received about 1,600 responses. Additionally, the 'Women in Leadership' program aims to enhance gender diversity in leadership positions. This initiative responds to previous findings about the need for a more inclusive workforce as outlined in the 'Everyday Respect' report.

Rio Tinto and Salzgitter Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance carbon-free steel production. This collaboration will focus on optimizing Rio Tinto’s high-quality iron ore products for Salzgitter’s SALCOS green steel project in Germany. The initiative aims to explore hydrogen direct reduction ironmaking and greenhouse gas emission certification across the steel value chain. Rio Tinto targets net zero emissions by 2050, with a 15% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2025, and a 50% reduction by 2030.

Emergent Metals Corp. has completed a non-brokered private placement, raising CDN$697,639.92 by issuing 5,813,666 units at CDN$0.12 per unit. Each unit comprises a common share and a warrant, exercisable at CDN$0.15 for 24 months. Insiders acquired 785,000 units, constituting a related party transaction, exempt from minority approval due to market cap conditions. Proceeds will fund property exploration in Quebec and Nevada. The transaction is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval and a statutory hold period.

Rio Tinto and bp have partnered for a one-year biofuel trial aimed at reducing carbon emissions from Rio Tinto's marine fleet. The trial will utilize bp's biofuel on the RTM Tasman vessel across Transatlantic and Atlantic-Pacific routes. This initiative is part of Rio Tinto's goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and reduce marine emissions by 30%. The B30 biofuel blend, composed of 30% fatty acid methyl esters, can lower lifecycle CO2 emissions by up to 26% compared to standard fuels. The trial will analyze various performance factors to inform future biofuel strategies.

Rio Tinto has revised its funding plan with Turquoise Hill Resources to provide up to $400 million in short-term advances while assessing an all-cash offer of C$34 per share for the remaining shares of Turquoise Hill. These advances will support the Oyu Tolgoi Underground Project's development in Mongolia and have a maturity date of 31 December, 2022. The timeframe for an initial equity offering of at least $650 million has also been extended to the end of 2022.

Rio Tinto has commenced tellurium production at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah, becoming one of just two U.S. producers of this critical mineral essential for photovoltaic solar panels.

With an investment of $2.9 million, the new circuit will produce approximately 20 tons of tellurium annually. The refined tellurium will be supplied to First Solar under a contract via 5N Plus, a global leader in semiconductor materials.

This venture aligns with U.S. efforts to bolster domestic critical mineral production.