Rio Tinto SuperChar bio pellet deal

Rio Tinto has signed a five-year offtake agreement with Australian bioenergy company SuperChar for the supply of locally produced bio pellets to be used at its alumina refineries in Gladstone, Australia — Queensland. Deliveries are targeted to begin in 2028. The agreement follows operational trials and a feasibility study that demonstrated bio pellets could replace up to 30% of the coal used to generate steam in refinery boilers. Under the deal, Rio Tinto will conduct further demonstrations using blends of 5% to 50% bio pellets. SuperChar plans to build a production facility in Gladstone with an initial capacity of 35,000 tonnes per annum, using locally grown bana grass. At full contract volumes, the arrangement could reduce Rio Tinto's reported Scope 1 emissions by up to 90,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually. Initial use is planned at Rio Tinto's Australia — Yarwun, Queensland refinery, with later expansion to Australia — Queensland, subject to regulatory approvals and operational readiness.