Rio Tinto’s chief executive officer Tom Albanese emphasized the firm plans to enhance longtime partnership with Japanese companies including major integrated steel makers at a press conference held in Tokyo on Wednesday. Mr. Albanese said the UK based major miner talks with Japanese joint venture partners on additional 50 million tonnes of expansion to increase iron ore output capacity to 330 million tonnes in Western Australia. The firm also improves stable supply of metallurgical coal for steel industry in Japan and Asia through the development in Australia and Mozambique.
Mr. Albanese indicated the firm seeks opportunities on further cooperation with Japanese major integrated steels. He emphasized Rio Tinto focuses on Guinean new iron ore project as same as the capacity expansion in Western Australia and Canada. He said new coking coal mine in Mozambican will realize first shipment in early 2012 and increases the output in next 5 years. Mr. Albanese visited Japanese major integrated steels to explain Rio Tinto’s aggressive expansion of iron ore and metallurgical coal expansion. He emphasized long term cooperation with the integrated steels.