Quarterly Production Report - Part 2

Rio Tinto PLC
28 April 2000

Part 2

ANALYSIS BY OPERATION

COPPER & GOLD                                                                 
                                                                      Full 
                1Q         2Q         3Q        4Q         1Q         Year 
                1999       1999       1999      1999       2000       1999 

Kennecott Utah Copper                                    
Total production at Kennecott's Bingham Canyon mine, smelter and refinery
(Rio Tinto 100%) and Barneys Canyon mine (Rio Tinto 100%) in Utah, US.        
                           
Bingham Canyon Mine                                    
Ore treated  
('000 tonnes)   14,316     14,563     14,523    13,191     15,440     56,595 
Average ore grade:                                    
Copper   (%)      0.61       0.53       0.53      0.53       0.52       0.55 
Gold   (g/t)      0.31       0.28       0.30      0.30       0.32       0.30 
Silver (g/t)      3.15       2.71       2.85      2.67       2.54       2.85 
Molybdenum  (%)
                 0.035      0.033      0.031     0.031      0.035      0.033 
Copper concentrates 
produced
('000 tonnes)      284        263        257       248        275      1,051 
Average concentrate  
grade (% Cu)      27.5       25.6       25.7      25.5       25.2       26.1 

Production of metals in copper
concentrates:                                    
Copper ('000 tonnes)  
(a)               79.4       68.9       67.2       63.7       69.7     279.3 
Gold  
('000 ounces)       96         87         95         88        111       367 
Silver  
('000 ounces)    1,109        905        959        886        916     3,859 
Molybdenum concentrates  
produced  
('000 tonnes)      3.8        2.7        2.4        2.9        4.3      11.8 
Molybdenum in  
concentrates  
('000
tonnes)            2.1        1.4        1.3        1.6        2.3       6.3  
                       
Kennecott Smelter & Refinery                                    
Copper concentrates smelted  
('000 tonnes)          
                   236        264        300        266        279     1,065 
Copper anodes produced  
('000 tonnes)  
(b)               52.8       73.1       72.5       66.8       70.5     265.2 
Production of refined metal:                                    
Copper  
('000 tonnes)     53.9       71.9       69.2       70.3       69.9     265.4 
Gold  
('000 ounces) (c)   82         83         86         96         80       346 
Silver  
('000 ounces) (c)1,202      1,154      1,160        775        776     4,291 
                                    
(a) Includes a small amount of copper in precipitates.                 
(b) New metal excluding recycled material. 
(c) Includes gold and silver in intermediate products.                        
          
First quarter of 2000 gold and molybdenum production exceeded that of the
first quarter of 1999, whilst copper and silver output was lower. Gold and
molybdenum improvement stems from higher throughput, recovery and increased
gold grade. Lower ore grade and recovery were responsible for the reduced
copper and silver production. Compared with the fourth quarter of 1999, gold
and molybdenum concentrate production was up due to higher ore grade,
throughput and recovery. 
Smelter production improved in the first quarter of 2000 compared with the
first quarter of 1999 due to higher operating rates. 
 
Refined copper increased in the first quarter of 2000 compared with the first
quarter of 1999 largely due to improved smelter performance. Refined silver
in the first quarter of 2000 was lower than the first quarter of 1999
primarily due to lower grade and timing of production from intermediate
products. Refined gold, compared with the fourth quarter of 1999, was lower
principally due to timing of the treatment of in-process inventories. 
 
Barneys Canyon Mine 
Ore treated  
('000 tonnes)        490         623       676       542       461      2,331 
    
Average ore grade: 
Gold (g/t)          1.98        1.63      2.31     3.69       2.44       2.38 
    
Gold produced in 
dore and concentrates 
('000 ounces)         18          26        25       43        33         112 
    
 
Gold production in the first quarter of 2000 was higher than the first
quarter of 1999 but lower than the fourth quarter of 1999 principally due to
changes in ore grade. 
                               
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold 

Total production and sales at the Grasberg mine (Rio Tinto 12.8% (a)) in
Irian Jaya/Papua, Indonesia, and the Atlantic Copper smelter (Rio Tinto
15.0%) in Spain.                                    
                                                                   
Grasberg Mine 
Ore treated ('000
tonnes)          19,953     19,730     20,410     20,468     21,073   80,561 
Average mill head grades:                                    
Copper (%)         1.14       1.16       1.11       1.09       0.94     1.12 
Gold (g/t)         1.31       1.39       1.40       1.37       0.99     1.37 
Silver (g/t)       2.77       2.91       2.74       2.69       2.83     2.78 
 
Production of metals in concentrates:                                    
Copper in  
concentrates  
('000
tonnes)           186.5      193.8      196.0      190.2      169.6    766.5 
Gold in  
concentrates  
('000 ounces)       754        762        804        766        574    3,086 
Silver in  
concentrates  
('000
ounces)           1,016      1,235      1,365      1,301      1,082    4,917 

Sales of payable metals  
in concentrates: (b)                                    
Copper in  
concentrates  
('000
tonnes)           177.4      184.8      187.1      198.1      162.4    747.4 
Gold in  
concentrates  
('000 ounces)       723        741        788        795        551    3,047 
Silver in concentrates  
('000 ounces)       774        951      1,043      1,061        824    3,829 
                                    
(a) See note (a) in the summary section above for details of Rio Tinto's
    12.8% interest in Grasberg and 40% interest in the expansion. 
(b) Net of smelter deductions. 
 
In the first quarter of 2000,production of copper and gold decreased compared
with the fourth quarter of 1999 due largely to a reduction in ore grades.
Copper and gold production in the first quarter was below that achieved in
the corresponding period of 1999 due to significantly lower ore grades,
partly offset by higher throughput.      
 
Atlantic Copper                                     
Concentrate smelted  
('000
tonnes)           238.6     225.1      230.9      254.8     244.7     949.4 
Copper anodes  
produced  
('000 tonnes) (c)  74.4      69.7       70.0       79.4      80.9     293.5 
Copper cathodes  
produced  
('000 tonnes)      63.1      63.3       60.6       65.5      65.2     252.5 
Copper cathode  
sales  
('000 tonnes) (d)  62.8      62.7       62.1       65.7      62.2     253.3 
                                    
(c) New metal excluding recycled material. 
(d) Refers to copper cathode and wire rod sales. 
                                 
Minera Escondida Limitada                                    
Total production at the Escondida mine (Rio Tinto 30%) in
Chile.                                                   
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Escondida Mine                                    
Sulphide ore treated  
('000
tonnes)          11,400    11,435    11,510      11,678    11,484    46,023 
Average copper  
grade (%)          2.15      2.15      2.06        1.84      1.99      2.05 
 
Mill production (metals in concentrates):                          
Contained copper  
('000
tonnes)           215.6     217.4     206.7       187.1     203.8     826.8 
Contained gold  
('000 ounces)        38        40        39          32        32       150 
Contained silver  
('000 ounces)       915     1,038       854         718       771     3,525 
 
Oxide ore treated 
('000
tonnes)           3,346     3,595     3,777       4,020     1,796    14,738   
  
Average copper  
grade (%)          0.99      1.16      1.22        1.26      1.08      1.17 
Contained copper in  
leachate/mined material 
('000 tonnes)        33        42        46          51        19       172   
                                     
Refined production:                                    
Oxide plant  
production  
('000 tonnes)      29.7      32.4      34.6        35.1      34.9    131.8 
 
Contained copper in concentrate during the first quarter was lower than in
the corresponding period in 1999 reflecting the expected decrease in copper
head grade in line with the long term mine plan. Oxide plant production
increased from the corresponding period in 1999; the first quarter in 1999
was the first full quarter of operation from the oxide plant which is now
consistently producing at a rate higher than design capacity. Oxide ore
crushed was reduced as buffer stocks of crushed ore on the pads exceeded
leach requirements. 
                               
Somincor                                    
Total production at the Neves Corvo mine (Rio Tinto 49%) in Portugal.         
                                     
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Neves Corvo Mine                                    
Total ore treated  
('000  
tonnes)(a)         558      543        592         517       499     2,210 
Of which, treated to  
extract tin  
('000 tonnes)      113       85         97          55        64       350 
Average ore grades:                                    
Copper (%)        5.35     5.00       4.95        5.20      5.47      5.12 
Tin (%)           1.12     1.29       1.43        1.25      1.18      1.27 
Copper production:                                    
Copper concentrates  
produced  
('000
tonnes)          109.2    103.0      104.4       101.1     102.7     417.8 
Copper concentrate  
grade  
(% copper)        24.2     24.1       24.1        23.8      23.7      24.1 
Copper in concentrates  
produced  
('000 tonnes)     26.5     24.9       25.2        24.0      24.3     100.5 
Tin production:                                    
Tin concentrates  
produced   
('000 tonnes)      0.9      0.9        1.8         0.6       0.4       4.2 
Tin concentrate  
grade (% tin)     50.0     51.9       49.9        53.2      50.5      50.8 
Tin in concentrates  
produced  
('000 tonnes)      0.4      0.5        0.9         0.3       0.2       2.2 
 
 
(a)Total ore treated for both copper and tin production. 

COPPER & GOLD
(continued)                                                                   
                                                                       Full 
                    1Q       2Q         3Q          4Q        1Q       Year 
                  1999     1999       1999        1999      2000       1999 
                          
                                                   
Palabora                                     
Total production at the Palabora mine, smelter and refinery (Rio Tinto 46.5%)
in South Africa. 
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Palabora Mine                                    
Ore treated  
('000
tonnes)          6,791    7,080     7,419        7,053    5,862      28,343 
Average ore grade  
(copper %)        0.46     0.35      0.46         0.62     0.59        0.47 
Copper concentrates  
produced  
('000 tonnes)     80.8     61.5      82.4        108.7     86.9       333.4 
Average concentrate  
grade  
(copper %)        32.7     34.2      33.8         33.7     32.2        33.5 
Copper in concentrates  
('000 tonnes)     26.4     21.0      27.9         36.6     27.9       111.9 
                                    
Palabora Smelter/Refinery                                    
New concentrate  
smelted on site  
('000 tonnes)     73.8     51.5      79.6         80.2     58.9       285.1 
New copper anodes  
produced  
('000 tonnes)(a)  24.1     20.9      24.7         31.3     17.6       101.0 
Refined new copper  
produced  
('000 tonnes)     25.4     20.6      24.3         29.9     17.8       100.1 
By-products:                                    
Magnetite concentrate  
('000 tonnes)       31       49        41           70       60         190 
Uranium oxide  
(tonnes)            23       23        21           24       14          91 
Baddeleyite (several grades)  
('000 tonnes)      2.4      3.0       2.6          3.1      1.9        11.1 
Refined nickel sulphate  
(tonnes)            30       52        57          106      103         246 
                                    
Vermiculite Plant                                    
Vermiculite produced  
('000 tonnes)     53.0     54.1      49.4         52.1     39.4       208.6 
                                    
(a) Contained copper in anodes; anode production includes a small amount
produced from purchased material. 
 
Heavy rains flooded the open pit, severely reducing the ability to blend
ores, which impacted on the milling circuits. This, plus poor availability in
the secondary crusher plant and downtime associated with the commissioning of
the pebble crushers, reduced mill throughput during the first quarter.
Concentrate smelted was below 1999 levels as a result of operational problems
in the converter and anode sections. This led to reduced anode and refined
copper production. 
 
Uranium production was impacted by the low mill throughput and the
variability of the ore types being processed. Production of baddeleyite was
lower than in recent quarters in line with a change in mine plan. Nickel
sulphate production was boosted by the high electrolyte inventory level
carried over from December 1999. Vermiculite production was adversely
affected by the excessive rain experienced during the first quarter 2000. 
 
Rio Tinto Brasil Limitada                                    
Total production at the Morro do Ouro gold mine (Rio Tinto 51%) in Minas
Gerais, Brazil.                                    
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Morro do Ouro Mine                                    
Ore treated  
('000
tonnes)           3,959      4,176     4,487     4,853     4,976     17,475 
Average ore grade:  
gold (g/t)         0.45       0.45      0.45      0.46      0.47       0.45 
Refined gold  
produced  
('000 ounces)        42         43        50        54        59        189 
 

COPPER & GOLD (continued)                                              Full 
                     1Q         2Q         3Q       4Q        1Q       Year 
                   1999       1999       1999     1999      2000       1999 
                                    
Kennecott Minerals Company                                    
Total production at the mines of Kennecott Minerals Company in the US;
Rawhide (Rio Tinto 51%) in Nevada; Ridgeway (Rio Tinto 100%) in South
Carolina, Cortez/Pipeline (Rio Tinto 40%) in Nevada and Greens Creek (Rio
Tinto 70%)in Alaska.                                    
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Rawhide Mine                                    
Ore treated  
('000
tonnes)           1,522      1,611     1,559     1,437    1,488      6,129 
Average ore grades:                                    
Gold (g/t)         0.89       0.82      0.75      0.99     0.99       0.86 
Silver (g/t)        8.9        9.7      10.2      18.7     13.6       11.7 
Metals produced in dore:                                    
Gold  
('000 ounces)        26         29        31        27       27        113 
Silver  
('000 ounces)       141        157       169       184      235        651 
                                    
Mill throughput rates declined from previous record levels due to harder ore
and additional maintenance requirements. Ore grades for both gold and silver
fluctuated as a result of mining sequence. The increased silver production
reflects the time taken to leach higher grade ore mined in the previous
quarter. 
                     
Ridgeway                                     
Ore treated  
('000 tonnes)       873       981        871       435        -      3,160 
Average ore grades:                                    
Gold (g/t)         0.99      1.12       1.18      1.10        -       1.10 
Silver (g/t)        1.2       1.1        1.1       1.1        -        1.1 
Metals produced in dore:                                    
Gold  
('000 ounces)        20        23         26        12        -         81 
Silver  
('000 ounces)        20        14         15         9        -         58    
           
Gold production ceased in November 1999. Efforts are now focused on
reclamation. 
                                    
Cortez / Pipeline                                    
Ore treated  
('000 tonnes)       932       980      1,022       901       861     3,835 
Average ore grade:  
gold (g/t)        10.22     11.02      11.58     11.94     12.19     11.19 
Gold produced in dore  
('000 ounces)       316       337        358       318       312     1,329 
 
Mill throughput declined as the Cortez Mill (No.1) was shut down during the
entire quarter due to ore being shifted from milling to leaching. Higher
leach recoveries and reduced leaching costs accounted for the shift. The mill
ore grade improved as actual grades mined continued to be higher than
predicted by the reserve model. 
                     
Greens Creek                                     
Ore treated  
('000 tonnes)       128       131        131       135       136       525 
Average ore grades:                                    
Gold (g/t)         8.56      7.29       7.31      6.00      7.44      7.27 
Silver (g/t)        735       877        809       820       747       811 
Zinc (%)           14.7      13.7       14.2      11.4      13.4      13.5 
Lead (%)            5.9       5.9        5.9       4.8       5.3       5.6 
 
Metals produced in concentrates:                               
Gold  
('000 ounces)        23        20         20        17        22        80 
Silver  
('000
ounces)           2,201     2,780      2,575     2,705     2,500     10,261 
Zinc  
('000 tonnes)      15.4      14.4       15.0      12.2      14.1       57.0 
Lead  
('000 tonnes)       5.3       5.4        5.5       4.4       5.0       20.6 
                                    
The mine and mill continued to implement productivity improvements and
consistently exceeded design throughput. Metal grades varied with the mining
sequence. 
                     
Peak Gold Mine                                    
Total production and sales from the Peak Gold mine (Rio Tinto 100%) at Cobar,
New South Wales, Australia.                               
                                    
Ore treated  
('000 tonnes)       153       145        152       148       148        598 
Average ore grades:                                    
Gold (g/t)         7.97      7.16       7.11      8.10      6.82       7.60 
Silver (g/t)       7.41      5.46       3.81      4.63      5.22       5.34 
Copper (%)         0.56      0.51       0.56      0.40      0.41       0.51 
Lead (%)           0.66      0.48       0.51      0.85      0.84       0.63 
Zinc (%)           0.77      0.37       0.43      0.87      0.76       0.61 
 
Bullion produced  
('000 ounces)        39        33         33        38        31        143 
Containing:                                    
Gold  
('000 ounces)        35        29         28        35        28        127 
Silver  
('000 ounces)         3         3          3         3         3         12 
Gold recovered in  
concentrates  
('000 ounces)         3         3          4         3         4         13 
Total gold production  
('000 ounces)        37        32         32        38        31        140 
                                     
Bullion sales  
(fine gold)  
('000 ounces)        35        29         27        31        32        122 
                                    
Copper in concentrate ('000 tonnes):                               
Production          0.5       0.4        0.5       0.3        0.5       1.7 
Sales                 -       0.9          -         -          -       0.9 
                                    
Lead/zinc in concentrate ('000 tonnes):                          
Production          0.4       0.5        0.2       1.0        0.8       2.1 
Sales               0.4         -        0.8       0.5          -       1.7 
 
                                         
Kelian Equatorial Mining                                    
Total production and sales from the Kelian gold mine (Rio Tinto 90%) in East
Kalimantan, Indonesia.                                    
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Ore treated  
('000
tonnes)          1,841      1,918       1,900    2,014      1,435     7,673 
Average ore grades:                                    
Gold (g/t)        2.26       2.13        2.62     2.30       2.43      2.33 
Silver (g/t)      4.24       4.00        4.25     4.22       7.96      4.18 
                                    
Production:                                    
Gold  
('000 ounces)      103        101         123      113         76       440 
Silver  
('000 ounces)       89         84          87       85         86       345 
                                    
Sales:                                    
Gold  
('000 ounces)      108        103         115      122         77       448 
Silver  
('000 ounces)      112         97          90       80         80       379 
                                    
Gold production was lower in the first quarter of 2000 than in the previous
quarter due to industrial action by employees and failure of power generation
equipment.COPPER & GOLD (Continued) 
                                                                       Full
                    1Q         2Q          3Q       4Q         1Q      Year 
                  1999       1999        1999     1999       2000      1999 
Lihir Gold                                    
Total production at the Lihir gold mine (Rio Tinto 16.3%(a)) in Papua New
Guinea.                                    
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Ore treated  
('000 tonnes)      603        655         841      812        792     2,911 
Average ore grade:  
gold (g/t)        7.24       6.93        7.38     6.61       5.27      7.04 
Gold produced  
('000 ounces) (b)  128        143         188      166        121       625 
 
(a)Effective 14 February 2000, Rio Tinto's interest in Lihir decreased from
   17.15% to 16.3% following a placement of shares by Lihir Gold. 
(b)Gold production represents quantity of gold poured. 
  
Gold production was low due to rebricking of the vapour phase section of
autoclave 2. 
                                    
Rio Tinto Zimbabwe                                    
Total production at Rio Tinto Zimbabwe's gold operations (Rio Tinto 56.0%) in
Zimbabwe.                                    
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Renco Mine                                    
Ore treated  
('000 tonnes)       79         75         81         74         70       309 
Average ore grade:  
gold (g/t)        5.42       5.23       5.33       5.21       5.30      5.30 
Total gold produced  
('000 ounces)       12         11         12         11         10        46 
                                    
Patchway Mine (a)                                    
Ore treated  
('000 tonnes)       23         24         25         26         26        98 
Average ore grade:  
gold (g/t)        5.81       5.51       5.58       5.34       4.70      5.55 
Total gold produced  
('000 ounces)        4          4          4          4          4        16 
                          
Cam Dump Reprocessing                                    
Ore treated  
('000 tonnes)      251        248        237        226        200       962 
Average ore grade:  
gold (g/t)        1.15       1.11       1.21       1.21       1.08      1.17 
Total gold produced  
('000 ounces)        2          2          2          3          2         9 
                                    
Total Rio Tinto Zimbabwe                                    
Total gold produced  
('000 ounces)       18         17         18         18         16        71 
                                    
(a) Includes low grade material. 
IRON ORE  
                                                                        Full
                    1Q         2Q         3Q         4Q          1Q     Year 
                  1999       1999       1999       1999        2000     1999 
                          
Hamersley Iron                                    
Total production and shipments are for all the mines operated by Hamersley
Iron (Rio Tinto 100%). These mines are Paraburdoo, Mount Tom Price, Marandoo,
Yandicoogina, Brockman (all Rio Tinto 100%) and Channar (Rio Tinto 60%) all
in Western Australia.                               
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Saleable iron ore produced 
('000 tonnes):                                    
Paraburdoo, Mount Tom Price,                                
Marandoo, 
Brockman and 
Yandicoogina    10,002    11,437      11,778     11,780     12,618    44,997 
Channar
                 2,203     2,113       2,953      2,841      2,594    10,110 
           
Total  
production      12,205    13,550      14,731     14,621     15,212    55,107  
             
Total shipments  
('000
tonnes)         10,710    15,666      16,485     16,732     15,162    59,593 
                                    
Iron ore production in the first quarter of 2000 was 4% higher than in the
previous quarter, this was a first quarter production record. 
 
During the first quarter of 2000 iron ore shipments increased by 41% compared
to the corresponding period of 1999, a first quarter shipping record. This
reflects the current upturn in the steel industry. 
      
Rio Tinto Brasil Limitada                                    
Total production at the Corumba mine (Rio Tinto 100% (a)) in Corumba, Mato
Grosso do Sul, Brazil.                                    
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Total iron ore  
production  
('000 tonnes)  
(b)              211        227         235         94         147       767 
                                    
(a) Rio Tinto increased its interest in the Corumba mine, Brazil, from 80%
    to 100% during June 1999.  
(b) Production includes by-product fines. 
    
Production in the first quarter of 2000 was better than the prior quarter,
but low water levels in the Paraquay river continued to restrict shipping
access. 
                               
COAL 
                                                                       Full 
                  1Q         2Q           3Q        4Q          1Q     Year 
                1999       1999         1999      1999        2000     1999 
                                    
Kennecott Energy and Coal Company 
                                   
Total production from the mines operated by Kennecott Energy and Coal Company
in the US: Antelope (Rio Tinto 100%) in Wyoming; Cordero Rojo (Rio Tinto
100%) in Wyoming; Jacobs Ranch (Rio Tinto 100%) in Wyoming; Spring Creek (Rio
Tinto 100%) in Montana; Decker (Rio Tinto 50%) in Montana and Colowyo in
Colorado, where Kennecott Energy has a partnership interest and full
management responsibility (see footnote (e)
above).                                                   
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Thermal coal production  
('000 tonnes)                                    
Antelope       4,590      5,183        5,548     5,258       5,076   20,579 
                                    
Cordero Rojo   9,586     10,369       10,352    11,129       8,899   41,436 
                                    
Spring Creek   2,500      2,490        2,490     2,495       2,650    9,975 
                                    
Decker         2,324      1,976        2,506     3,148       2,112    9,954 
                                    
Colowyo        1,155      1,284        1,197     1,417       1,168    5,053 
                                    
Jacobs
Ranch          6,189      6,750        6,416     7,016       5,726   26,371 
                                    
Total Kennecott Energy                                    
Total coal  
production  
('000
tonnes)       26,344     28,052       28,509    30,463      25,631  113,368 
                                    
First quarter 2000 production was slightly lower than in the same period in
1999, primarily due to reductions in sales forecast for the year. 
                          
Kaltim Prima Coal   
                                 
Total production and shipments from Kaltim Prima Coal (Rio Tinto 50%) in
Indonesia, including the share of production attributed to the Indonesian
Government (see footnote (i) above).                               
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Thermal coal:                                    
Production  
('000
tonnes)        3,552      3,164        4,036      3,261      2,292   14,013 
Shipments  
('000
tonnes)        3,831      3,165        3,717      3,302      2,562   14,015 

COAL (Continued) 
                                                                          
                                                                       Full     
               1Q         2Q          3Q          4Q         1Q       Year 
                1999       1999        1999        1999       2000     1999 
                                    
In the last six months, KPC has been implementing a major shift in mining
sequence. Significant equipment was committed to developing access to new
areas and initial clearing; this, plus heavy rainfall, affected productivity
in the first quarter of 2000. 
 
Pacific Coal                                    
Total production and sales from the Blair Athol mine (Rio Tinto 71.2% (a)),
the Kestrel Coal mine (Rio Tinto 80% (b)) and the Tarong Coal mine (Rio Tinto
100%) in Queensland, Australia.                                    
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Blair Athol                                    
Thermal coal:                                    
Production  
('000
tonnes)        2,806      2,823      2,931        2,550      2,432    11,110  
   
Sales  
('000
tonnes)        2,569      3,334      2,636        2,885      2,324    11,424 
 
Kestrel Coal 
Thermal coal: 
Production  
('000 tonnes)      -         87        229          214         220      530 
Sales 
('000 tonnes)      -          -         64          223         127      287 
Coking coal: 
Production 
('000 tonnes)      -        120        629          355         435    1,104 
Sales  
('000 tonnes)      -          -        338          297         506      635 
Semi-hard coking 
coal: (c) 
Sales  
('000 tonnes)      -          -        146           94         265      240 
                     
Tarong Coal                                    
Thermal coal:                                    
Production  
and sales  
('000
tonnes)         1,155      1,461      1,325       1,176       1,256    5,116 
 
Total Pacific Coal 
Total coal  
Production 
('000
tonnes)         3,960      4,491      5,114       4,295       4,343   17,860  
   
                                    
 
(a)On 10 January 1999, Rio Tinto acquired an additional 14% beneficial
   interest in Blair Athol. 
(b)Rio Tinto acquired Kestrel Coal, formerly Gordonstone, in February 1999
   and production commenced in June 1999. 
(c)Semi-hard coking coal is a mixture of Thermal Coal and Coking Coal. The
   product mix is customer dependent.                

Coal & Allied Industries Limited (a)                               
Total production and sales from the Hunter Valley Operations (Rio Tinto
71%)and Mount Thorley mine (Rio Tinto 57%), both in New South Wales,
Australia.                                    
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Hunter Valley Operations (b) 
 
Thermal coal 
Production 
('000
tonnes)          1,726      1,649      1,773      1,170      1,226    6,319 
Coking coal 
Production
('000 tonnes)      793       654        933         624        771    3,004  
 
Mount Thorley                               
Thermal coal:                                    
Production  
('000 tonnes)      676       497        593         447        435    2,213 
Coking coal:                                    
Production  
('000 tonnes)      622       691        615         520        615    2,448 
                                    
Total Coal & Allied  
Total coal  
Production 
('000
tonnes)          3,816     3,492      3,914        2,762     3,047   13,984  
 
Total sales 
('000 tonnes)
(c)              3,887     3,326      3,722        2,728     2,893   13,663   
                                
 
(a)Coal & Allied has purchased the Rio Tinto Group's coal interests in New
   South Wales which included the Howick mine. The restructuring of Coal and
   Allied's shareholdings leaves Rio Tinto with a 70.9% interest; these
   transactions were effective from 1 July 1999. 
(b)Hunter Valley Operations consist of the now merged Howick and Hunter
   Valley mines. 
(c)Sales relate only to coal mined by the operation and exclude traded coal.

Thermal coal production for Hunter Valley Operations in the first
quarter of 2000 was limited by a contractual dispute with a significant
domestic customer. Deliveries were suspended by the customer during the third
quarter of 1999. Deliveries under the long-term contract remain suspended,
but deliveries to this customer as part of an unrelated contract commenced on
31 March 2000. 
 
Wet weather affected production at both operations during the quarter. 

COAL (Continued) 
                                                                        Full 
                   1Q         2Q         3Q         4Q         1Q       Year 
                 1999       1999       1999       1999       2000       1999 
                                                             
Carbones del Cerrejon SA 

Total production at the Central Cerrejon mine (Rio Tinto 0%(a)).              
                     
(100% basis)                                    
                               
Central Cerrejon Mine                                     
Thermal coal:                                    
Production  
('000 tonnes)      280      280        295        352          -       1,207 
 
(a) Rio Tinto disposed of its interest in Carbones del Cerrejon in early
January 2000.                                    
                                    
                                     
ALUMINIUM 
                                                                       Full   
                   1Q        2Q         3Q         4Q         1Q       Year 
                 1999      1999       1999       1999       2000       1999 
                                    
Comalco                                    
Production and sales from operations owned by Comalco (Rio Tinto 72.4% (a))
including Comalco's share of primary aluminium production from partly owned
smelters.                                    
                                    
(100% of Comalco's share)                                    
                                    
('000 tonnes)                                    
Weipa mine, Queensland (Comalco 100%):                                    
Beneficiated bauxite  
production      2,931     2,675      2,784      2,997      2,777     11,386 
Metal grade bauxite  
shipments       2,513     2,665      3,019      2,997      2,729     11,194 
Calcined bauxite  
production         20        32         27         34         33        112 
                                    
Boke mine, Guinea  
(Comalco 4%):                               
Bauxite 
production        107       104         53        177        173        441   
  
Queensland Alumina Limited,  
Queensland 
(Comalco 30.3%): 
Alumina 
production        272       274        277        279        273      1,101 
 
Eurallumina SpA, 
Sardinia 
(Comalco 56.2%): 
Alumina
production       130        133        142        141        143        546   
                     
Primary aluminium production:                                    
Bell Bay, Tasmania  
(Comalco 100%)  37.0       37.2       37.9       39.0       37.1       151.1 

Boyne Island, Queensland  
(Comalco 54.2%) 64.2       66.8       68.0       68.7       69.9       267.7 

Tiwai Point, New Zealand  
(Comalco 79.4%) 63.1       64.5       65.6       66.1       65.2       259.4 

Total Comalco  
share          164.3      168.5      171.6      173.8      172.2       678.2 

Total sales of Comalco  
produced
aluminium      167.3      166.6      169.3      173.3      169.6       676.5 
 
(a) During the first half of 1999 Rio Tinto increased its interest in Comalco
    from 70.4% to 72.4%. Rio Tinto's share of production has been calculated
    using the weighted average of Rio Tinto's interest over the relevant      
     periods.
 
Weipa bauxite production mainly reflected the impact of seasonal weather
conditions. 
 
Queensland Alumina Limited production remained strong and Eurallumina SpA
achieved record alumina production as process improvements continued. 
 
Overall daily production at the aluminium smelters remained strong with Boyne
Smelters Limited achieving record production due to ongoing improvements.     
                         
Anglesey Aluminium  
Total production at Anglesey Aluminium (Rio Tinto 51%) in the UK.             
                                   
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Aluminium hot metal production                                    
('000 tonnes)     34.3       34.2       33.9       34.7       35.0     137.1 
 
 
INDUSTRIAL MINERALS 
                                                                        Full 
                    1Q         2Q         3Q         4Q         1Q      Year 
                  1999       1999       1999       1999       2000      1999  
                           
BORATES                                    
                                    
Rio Tinto Borax                                     
Total production at the Boron mine (Rio Tinto 100%) in California, US and at
the Tincalayu, Sijes and Porvenir mines (Rio Tinto 100%) in Argentina.      
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Borates  
('000 tonnes) (a)  146        146        137        132        145      561 
                     
 
(a) Production is expressed as B2O3 content. 
 

TITANIUM DIOXIDE FEEDSTOCK                                    
                                    
Rio Tinto Iron & Titanium                                    
Total Rio Tinto share of titanium dioxide feedstock production in Canada and
South Africa.                                    
                                                   
(Rio Tinto share)                                    
Titanium dioxide  
feedstock  
production  
('000 tonnes)      377        354       347         350       349     1,428 
 
                               
Production in recent periods has been affected by the consequences of a fire
at QIT's Canadian smelter in June1999.                                        
                                                                       Full 
                    1Q         2Q        3Q          4Q        1Q     Year 
                  1999       1999      1999        1999      2000     1999 
DIAMONDS                                    
                                    
Argyle Diamonds                                     
Total production from mining operations at Argyle Diamonds (Rio Tinto 59.7%)
in Western Australia.                               
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
Ore processed  
('000 tonnes):                                    
AK1 ore           2,524     2,435     1,992       2,552      2,575    9,503 
Alluvial ore      1,646     1,282     1,527       1,488      1,260    5,943 
Total ore  
processed         4,170     3,717     3,519       4,040      3,835   15,447 
                                    
Diamonds recovered ('000 carats):                               
AK1               6,565     6,886     7,433       6,876      6,384   27,760 
Alluvial            544       378       473         544        287    1,939 
Total  
recovered         7,109     7,264     7,906       7,420      6,671   29,699 
 
The lower ore grade resulted in AKI diamond production for first quarter of
2000 being lower than in the corresponding period of 1999. Lower production
of alluvial carats was also impacted by the extended wet season. 
                          

SALT 
                                    
Dampier Salt                                    
 
Total production of salt from Dampier and Lake MacLeod (Rio Tinto 64.9%) in
Western Australia. 
                                                   
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Salt production  
('000
tonnes)          1,099      1,449     1,286       1,416     1,024    5,250 
                                    
Exceptional rain and flood conditions in March will adversely affect
production at both sites over the next few quarters. Partial force majeure
was declared on sales contracts. 
 

TALC                                    
                                    
The Luzenac Group                                    
Total Talc production from Luzenac Group operations in Europe (Rio Tinto
99.9%) and North America (Rio Tinto 100%).                          
                                    
(100% basis)                                              
Talc 
Production  
('000 tonnes)     310         325       321         313       321    1,269 
                     

OTHER METALS 
                                                                       Full 
                   1Q          2Q        3Q          4Q        1Q      Year   
                 1999        1999      1999        1999      2000      1999   
  NICKEL                                    
                                    
Rio Tinto Brasil Limitada                                    
                                    
Total nickel in matte production at the Fortaleza mine (Rio Tinto 100%) in
Brazil.                                    
                                    
Production  
(tonnes)         2,171      1,726     2,620       2,928     2,561     9,445 
                                                                    
Rio Tinto Zimbabwe                                    
                                    
Total refined metal production at the Empress nickel refinery (Rio Tinto
56.0%) in Zimbabwe.                                    
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Production  
(tonnes)         1,650       1,847    1,802       1,728     1,736     7,027 
                                    

URANIUM                                    
                                    
Rossing Uranium Ltd                                    
Total uranium production at the Rossing Uranium mine (Rio Tinto 68.58%) in
Namibia.                                         
                                    
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Production  
(tonnes U3O8)      840        800       812         719      818     3,171 
                                    

ZINC                                    
                                    
Norzink AS                                    
Total zinc production at Norzink AS (Rio Tinto 50%) in
Norway.                                                   
(100% basis)                                    
                                    
Production  
('000 tonnes)     37.0       35.0      36.3        35.7     35.6    144.0 
 
 
EXPLORATION
 
Expenditure 
 
Rio Tinto's pre-tax exploration charged to the profit and loss account for
the quarter ending March 31 2000 was US$27 million compared with US$28
million in the comparable quarter of 1999.  
 
The sale of an 80% stake in the Sepon copper-gold deposit in Laos to Oxiana
Resources N.L. was negotiated. Rio Tinto will retain a 20% stake. 
 
Major Developments 
 
Grasberg, Indonesia 
 
In Block A, delineation drilling continued at Deep Grasberg and on newly
discovered gold-copper mineralisation within the Ertsberg diorite. 
 
Other Programmes 
                                                                           
  Country           Commodity         Programme Summary                       
  Australia         Diamonds          Deep ore delineation drilling continued 
                                      at the Argyle mine.                     
  Brazil            Gold              Drilling in the Terranova district      
                                      delineated a modest gold resource.      
  Guinea            Iron Ore          Delineation drilling commenced at the   
                                      Simandou lump hematite prospect.        
  Indonesia         Nickel            Reconnaissance drilling commenced at    
                                      the Sampala laterite nickel prospect.   
  Peru              Copper-Gold       Definition drilling was completed at    
                                      the Pukaqaqa porphyry/skarn prospect.   
  Turkey            Trona             Evaluation continued of a trona (soda   
                                      ash) discovery in Turkey.               
 
Regional Programmes 
 
Early stage exploration programmes for a variety of commodities were underway
in various regions.