Boyne Smelter Official Opening.

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--November 10, 1997--Rio Tinto plc (NYSE: RTP) announced that the A$1 billion Boyne Smelter Expansion was officially opened today by the Premier of Queensland, The Hon Rob Borbidge.

Chief executive of Comalco Limited, Mr. Terry Palmer, said that the completion of the smelter expansion had raised the annual capacity of Queensland's only aluminium smelter to about 490,000 tonnes.

Mr. Palmer said the expansion almost doubled the capacity of Boyne Smelters Limited (BSL). "The expansion now gives BSL one of the largest capacity modern smelters in the world, and the largest of Comalco's three aluminium smelters supplying markets in the Pacific and Asian region," he said.

"Comalco has now upgraded its three aluminium smelters, at Bell Bay in Tasmania, Tiwai Point in New Zealand and the Boyne Island smelter. These smelters are producing metal at the rate of about 940,000 tonnes a year and our share will be about 650,000 tonnes.

"The expansion continues to reflect our strategy of providing a fully integrated upstream aluminium production operation in the region," Mr. Palmer said.

The Boyne Smelter Expansion involved the construction of a new reduction line of 264 cells, a carbon baking furnace, additional metal casting facilities and auxiliary equipment.

The project was completed in 26 months, almost six months ahead of its original schedule and within budget.

The expansion used innovative management structures and safety systems to achieve industry best practice.

CONTACT: RIO TINTO

George Naylor, Investor Relations 

011-44-171-753 2401

Gavin Anderson & Company

Jason Kendy

212-373-0200