TOP NEWS: Rio Tinto hails "rest of relationship" with Mongolian state

(Alliance News) - Rio Tinto PLC on Tuesday said it has reached agreement with the government of ...

Alliance News 25 January, 2022 | 9:11AM
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(Alliance News) - Rio Tinto PLC on Tuesday said it has reached agreement with the government of Mongolia to ramp up production at the massive Oyu Tolgoi copper mine.

Rio said the agreement will allow the start of underground mining operations at the project, which is expected to be the fourth largest copper mine in the world by 2030. Oyu Tolgoi is expected to produce about 500,000 tonnes of copper per year on average from 2028 to 2036 from the open pit and underground combined, with 350,000 tonnes per year for a further five years. In 2021, Oyu Tolgoi produced 163,000 tonnes of copper from the open pit, which has been in operation for almost 10 years.

The Anglo-Australian miner said underground operations, exploiting the most valuable part of the mine, are expected to begin "in coming days", with first sustainable production in the first half of 2023.

Rio owns a majority stake - 50.8% - in New York-listed Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd, which in turn owns 66% of the Oyo Tolgoi project. The Mongolian government owns the rest of the mine. The two companies have been in negotiation with the government in Ulaanbaatar for the past two years over funding and power supply for the mine.

Rio said on Tuesday that Turquoise Hill will waive a USD2.4 billion loan owed by government-owned firm Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi, which represented the amount of investment funded by Turquoise Hill on behalf of the government company to build the project to date, plus accrued interest.

The capital forecast for the Mongolian project is USD6.93 billion, with remaining underground capital spending estimated at USD1.8 billion.

Under an amended heads of agreement signed among the three partners, a series of funding steps will be taken. Most significantly, Turquoise Hill will conduct an equity offer of up USD1.5 billion, with USD650 million of this by no later than August 31 this year.

Rio has anti-dilution rights and so can maintain its stake in Turquoise Hill as part of any share issue. It said it doesn't currently plan to buy more shares in Turquoise Hill, except as part of a share offer; however it could consider buying all the shares of Turquoise Hill, depending on market conditions, tax rules, and "other factors".

Rio itself will provide a co-lending project finance facility of up to USD750 million once sustainable underground production has been achieved. The partners will aim to raise up to USD500 million in senior supplemental debt from international financial institutions at the same time. They also will seek a rescheduling of principal payments on existing project finance to reduce the Oyu Tolgoi funding requirement by up to USD1.7 billion.

The partners in the project also have signed a long-term electricity supply agreement to draw from the Mongolian grid.

"This agreement represents a reset of our relationship and resolves historical issues between the OT project partners," said Rio Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm. "We strongly believe in the future of this country and I am personally committed to ensuring that the people of Mongolia benefit strongly from OT along with our shareholders."

Added Turquoise Hill Interim CEO Steve Thibeault: "Today is a landmark day for Turquoise Hill and a major milestone in the development of the Oyu Tolgoi underground development project."

Rio shares were up 0.8% at 5,307.00 pence early Tuesday in London.

By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com

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Security Name Price Change (%) Morningstar
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Rio Tinto PLC 5,380.00 GBX 0.17

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