Rio Tinto to Invest $1.9 Billion to Develop Kangwinan Bauxite Project in Australia

By David Winning

SYDNEY--Rio Tinto said it would invest $1.9 billion to develop a bauxite deposit that will support an expansion of its Weipa operations in the north of Australia's Queensland state.

Rio Tinto is targeting first production of bauxite--a key ingredient in making aluminum--from the Kangwinan project on Western Cape York Peninsula in Queensland in 2029, ramping up to full output three years later.

Bauxite from the Kangwinan project will replace ore from the Andoom mine near Weipa when it becomes fully depleted some time this decade, the company said.

The Kangwinan project will support an increase in Weipa's annual capacity to about 44 million metric tons, from current output of around 38 million tons. It will also help compensate for the planned end of production at the Gove mine in the Northern Territory in 2029, Rio Tinto said.

"The project represents the most significant new mining investment in Queensland in recent years and is a sign of Rio Tinto's long-term commitment to its bauxite business, the State and our integrated mine-to-metal aluminum value chain," said Jérôme Pécresse, chief executive of Rio Tinto's aluminum and lithium business.

Write to David Winning at david.winning@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 22, 2026 17:48 ET (21:48 GMT)