Rio'sYarwun refinery hits record production

Rio Tinto recently said that its Yarwun refinery in Queensland reached record production, and Rio Tinto is well positioned to cater the growing alumina demand. The company is conducting a $US1.8 billion expansion of Yarwun, and said that the refinery was performing at its best since operations began after the implementation of a series of steps. "Since implementing a number of process enhancements in October 2007, the plant has delivered record operating performance, and further improvements have been identified to surpass the nameplate capacity this year," Rio Tinto Alcan chief operating officer of bauxite and alumina in the Pacific Alistair Field said in a statement. The company also said the expansion project was already on track and on budget, which will double output to 3.4 million tonnes by 2011.