Rio Tinto eyes tie-up with Chhattisgarh miners, execs meet CM in Australia

Rio Tinto would be sending a team to the state soon, to conduct survey, explore options for associating with local miners

Rio Tinto, one of the world’s leading mining companies, will explore the possibilities of associating with Indian miners to expand its mining operations in mineral-rich Chhattisgarh.

The delegation from Chhattisgarh led by Chief Minister Raman Singh met the officials of Rio Tinto during the on-going visit to Australia. The visit is aimed to woo investors and bring investment to the state that has been endowed with rich minerals.

“Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh met Chief Advisor of Rio Tinto Johnathan Rose, who said the company would be exploring the options of partnering with Indian companies for developing mines in Chhattisgarh,” a state government spokesperson said. Rio Tinto is looking for expansion in the mining sector in Chhattisgarh.

Rio Tinto would be sending a team to Chhattisgarh soon. The officials would conduct a survey and find out the options for associating with the local miners to expand its mining operations.

The Chhattisgarh delegation briefed Johnathan about the mineral resources available in the state underlining that there were innumerable similarities between Chhattisgarh and Australia. The company, which had developed some of the world’s largest and best quality mines and operations, works in around 35 countries across six continents.

Australian firm Riverina oils and bio-energy held a detailed discussion with the Chhattisgarh team for investing in the state to produce rice bran oil. The company crushes and refines over 200,000 tonnes of oilseeds per year through a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility sourcing raw materials from local farms.