Rio Tinto’s Yarwun alumina refinery lifts Q2 output…

Rio Tinto’s Yarwun alumina refinery in the Australian state of Queensland lifted output to 323,000t in Q2 from 296,000t in Q1, when output was constrained by maintenance shutdowns. It was the second best quarterly performance from the 1.4 million tpy plant since it was commissioned in 2004. The company has just announced a major expansion of Yarwun to 3.4 million tpy by the end of 2010. Production at the Queensland Alumina joint venture refinery was broadly steady at 938,000t, compared with 945,000t in Q1. However, first half 2007 production dropped to 1,882,000t from 1,942,000tt in the year-earlier period.