Rio's billion-dollar expansion plans

Rio Tinto is set to invest a further $865 million to expand its Pilbara iron ore operations in Western Australia, bringing total investment for the expansion to more than $1 billion. The latest funding announcement is for the construction of a new wharf and the procurement of items such as pile and marine structures, on-shore earthworks and machines.

The company is aiming to boost capacity at its Pilbara operations to 330 million tonnes a year. Rio announced last month that it planned to spend more than $200 million in dredging works at the Cape Lambert port to more than double its iron ore capacity by 2016.Construction is dependent on several government and other approvals.

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