MONGOLIA RULES THE COAL MARKETRio Tinto warns on cheap Mongolian coal
November 2, 2009 - 3:42PM
Mining giant Rio Tinto has warned that cheap coal from Mongolia as well as congestion at the Port of Newcastle in NSW could undermine export markets for the Australian commodity.
Rio Tinto chief executive Tom Albanese said he knew the leader of an energy company who likened opportunities in Mongolia to a ‘‘religious experience’’.
‘‘Coal from Mongolia to China is happening. It is expanding, probably doubling every two years,’’ Mr Albanese told an investors’ conference in Sydney on Monday.
‘‘Will that coal get to the seaborne markets? I suspect it will.
‘‘Will it get to the seaborne markets at a lower delivered cost than Australian coal? I suspect it will too,’’ he said.
Mr Albanese said problems at the world’s biggest coal port, Newcastle, were unhelpful.
He said Rio Tinto’s Australian coal production was not at capacity purely because of logistical reasons in getting the coal exported.
‘‘We should remind ourselves that Australia is not the only source of supply for the Asian seaborne market, so if the coal chain does not pick up, others will find their way to that market,’’ he said.
Mr Albanese said Rio Tinto was leading the way in moving towards a longer-term take-or-pay arrangement at the Newcastle port facility.
Newcastle’s coal port has been plagued by congestion over the past 20 years, causing headaches for exporters.
Mr Albanese said his company was continuing to look to invest in Mongolia, where coal coal horizons were 300 metres or more in thickness.
‘‘We have coal interests through our stake in Ivanhoe (Australia Ltd) but we also have coal interests on our own in Mongolia via Rio Tinto explorations,’’ he said.
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