Rio Tinto rolls out mineral plans

摘要

With grand plans for its Argentinean Potasio Rio Colorado potash project, and approval for expansion at its Lake McLeod salt mine in Western Australia, Rio Tinto seems set to continue its current strong growth trend after the company's underlying earnings for the first half of 2006 were revealed to equal a record 3,751 m dollars. Rio Tinto expects to start building a 735m dollars. potash mine in Argentina in 2007. Straddling the border between the west-central provinces of Mendoza and Neuquen, the Potasio Rio Colorado project's predicted production is between 1,6m. and 2.4m. tpa. The property, acquired in 2005, covers 900km to south of Mendoza, which is where the plant will be located. The Mendoza plant will produce two products: 80 percent granular potash and 20 percent standard grade potash.