Rio Tinto Opens Gudai-Darri, Its Most Technologically Advanced Mine

(RTTNews) - Mining major Rio Tinto Group (RIO) on Tuesday announced the official opening of Gudai-Darri, its 17th and most technologically advanced iron ore mine in the Pilbara.

With an expected life of more than 40 years and an annual capacity of 43 million tons, Gudai-Darri would underpin future production of Rio Tinto's Pilbara Blend product. It is expected to increase iron ore production volumes and improve product mix from the Pilbara from the second half of this year. The mine is expected to reach capacity in 2023.

The development work which commenced in April 2019, supported more than 3,000 jobs and more than 14 million workhours. It also requires around 600 permanent roles.

A total of A$3.2 billion in goods and services were sourced within Western Australia during the construction phase of the Gudai-Darri Project with contracts valued at A$1.5 billion awarded directly to WA-registered businesses.

To optimize mine safety and drive productivity, Gudai-Darri uses robotics for the ore sampling laboratory as well as for distribution of parts in the new workshop. A digital replica of the mine would be monitored remotely from Rio Tinto's Operations Centre 1,500 kilometers away in Perth.

Shares of Rio Tinto Group closed Friday's trading at $64.54, down $3.50, or 5.14 percent from the previous close.