Coal & Allied - 4QPR 2006

Rio Tinto PLC
17 January 2007

Rio Tinto's 75.7 per cent owned subsidiary, Coal & Allied Industries Limited,
issued the following news release in Australia. All dollars are Australian
currency.


Coal & Allied production report for the quarter ended 31 December 2006

                                        CNA     4Q        1Q        2Q        3Q        4Q 12 months    12 months
'000 tonnes (100% basis)           Interest   2005      2006      2006      2006      2006      2005         2006

Hunter Valley Operations               100%

Thermal coal production                      2,651     2,386     3,136     2,435     2,264    10,341       10,221
Semi-soft coking coal production               378       419       350       419       616     2,033        1,804
Mount Thorley Operations                80%

Thermal coal production                        529       969       582       494       857     2,695        2,902
Semi-soft coking coal production               281       291       325       253       124     1,267          993

Bengalla Mine                           40%

Thermal coal production                      2,053      1088     1,406     1,618     1,433     5,965        5,545
Warkworth Mine                         55.6

Thermal coal production                      1,495     1,759     1,766     1,803     1,686     5,946        7,014
Semi-soft coking coal production                67        11        96        90       130       347          327

Total coal production                        7,452     6,922     7,661     7,112     7,110    28,594       28,806

Total sales ('000 tonnes)(a)                 7,529     7,306     6,850     7,028     6,450    29,042       27,634

Coal & Allied share:
Share of coal production                     5,365     5,231     5,809     5,151     5,248    21,428       21,439
Share of coal sales                          5,573     5,528     5,116     4,997     4,769    21,950       20,410


(a) Sales relate only to coal mined by the operations and exclude traded coal.

Production figures are sometimes more precise than the rounded numbers shown,
hence small difference may result between the total of the quarter figures and
the full year figures.



Total coal production for the quarter and the full year 2006 was in line with
the previous year and the previous quarter. Along with other Hunter Valley
producers, shipments were constrained by significant congestion at the Port of
Newcastle causing delays, coal handling costs and impacts throughout the
production process.

The capacity balancing system at the Port of Newcastle ceased to operate as at
31 December 2006 and the port has operated on a take or pay basis from 1 January
2007.

Coal & Allied commenced a feasibility study into the potential development of
the Mount Pleasant project (Coal & Allied 100 per cent), adjacent to Bengalla
Mine in the Hunter Valley, NSW.  The study is expected to take 12 months to
complete.

There was no exploration activity during the quarter.



For further information, please contact:

LONDON                                               AUSTRALIA

Media Relations                                      Media Relations
Nick Cobban                                          Ian Head
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Investor Relations                                   Investor Relations
Nigel Jones                                          Dave Skinner
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David Ovington                                       Susie Creswell
Office:  [phone]                        Office:  [phone]
Mobile: [phone]                         Mobile: [phone]



Website: www.riotinto.com
High resolution photographs available at: www.newscast.co.uk




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