Rio Tinto Group will cut production at the Yarwun Alumina Refinery by 40%.

Rio Tinto Group will cut production at its Yarwun Alumina Refinery in Australia by 40% starting in October 2026 to extend the plant’s operational life to 2035 and allow time to explore further life extension and modernization options.

At current production rates, the Yarwun tailings storage facility is expected to reach capacity in 2031. The production reduction will give Rio Tinto an additional four years to investigate and develop technical solutions to further extend the refinery’s lifespan.

The decision will reduce annual alumina output by approximately 1.2 million tonnes from the current 3 million tonnes. The production curtailment will also affect around 180 roles at the refinery. Yarwun currently employs about 725 people and produces around 3 million tonnes of alumina annually to supply feedstock to Rio Tinto’s aluminium smelters and international customers.

The company stated that the production adjustment will not impact supply to customer demand or the stable operation of other businesses. Its full bauxite mining and aluminium smelting production lines will remain highly efficient to ensure stable industrial and supply chains.

Armando Torres, Managing Director of Rio Tinto Aluminium Pacific Operations, said: “While we have extensively explored options for developing a second tailings facility at Yarwun over many years, the scale of investment required is substantial and currently not economically viable.”

Despite various industry challenges, Rio Tinto remains financially robust with ample cash flow to cover interest expenses and strong financial resilience.