SYDNEY Dec 13 （Reuters） - Global miner Rio Tinto may sell some aluminium smelters and refineries with limited growth potential, and is considering a major capital investment at its Alcan unit, Chief Financial Officer Guy Elliott told The Australian newspaper.
"We have to look critically at some of the assets -- smaller, older assets that exist in the portfolio that maybe don't have much upside in terms of expandibility or extension of life," The Australian quoted Elliott as saying in a report published on Monday.
He did not put a value on the assets for sale but said they were all generating cash.
"We'd like to sell them at good prices if we do sell them -- that means we need the climate to improve a little bit."
Rio Tinto has completed divestments in excess of $10 billion since the beginning of 2008, including sales of $3.6 billion of chiefly Alcan assets in 2010.
Elliott added Alcan's first substantial capital spending since being taken over by Rio Tinto for $38 billion in 2007 was "on the horizon".
The paper added that the two most likely options for capital projects are the $2 billion-plus expansion of the Kitimat smelter in British Columbia and the AP5X technology pilot plant planned for Quebec. （Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by Ed Davies）
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