Rio Tinto to acquire Mitsubishi’s 11.65% stake in Boyne aluminium smelter

MELBOURNE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rio Tinto has agreed to acquire Mitsubishi Corporation’s 11.65% interest in Boyne Smelters Ltd (BSL), which owns and operates the Boyne Island aluminium smelter in Gladstone, Australia.

On completion of this transaction, and the recent agreement to acquire Sumitomo Chemical Company’s 2.46% interest in BSL, Rio Tinto’s interest in BSL will increase to 73.5%.

The acquisition, which is for an undisclosed price, is subject to various conditions precedent, including approval from Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board, and is expected to be finalised in the second half of 2024.

Rio Tinto looks forward to continuing to work with its remaining BSL joint venture partners and other stakeholders on securing a competitive low-carbon future for its Gladstone operations.

After completion of the two transactions, the BSL joint venture partners will be: Rio Tinto (73.5%), YKK Aluminium (9.50%), UACJ Australia (9.29%) and Southern Cross Aluminium (7.71%).