News: RIO Rio Tinto FY Underlying Earnings $21.4 Bln Vs $12.45 Bln

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO) :

• ASX ALERT-RIO TINTO 2021 FULL YEAR RESULTS-RIO.AX
• RIO TINTO LTD - ANNOUNCES RECORD FINANCIAL RESULTS AND TOTAL DIVIDEND OF 1,040 US CENTS PER SHARE FOR 2021, A 79% PAYOUT
• RIO TINTO LTD - FY NET EARNINGS $21,094 MILLION VERSUS $9,769 MILLION REPORTED LAST YEAR
• RIO TINTO LTD - EXPECT CAPITAL EXPENDITURE TO BE AROUND $8.0 BILLION IN 2022
• RIO TINTO LTD - ANNOUNCE 247 US CENTS PER SHARE SPECIAL DIVIDEND
• RIO TINTO LTD - FY UNDERLYING EARNINGS $21.4 BILLION VERSUS $12.45 BILLION AS REPORTED LAST YEAR
• RIO TINTO LTD - IN EACH OF 2023 AND 2024, WE EXPECT CAPITAL EXPENDITURE TO BE BETWEEN $9.0 AND $10.0 BILLION
• RIO TINTO LTD - PRODUCTION GUIDANCE IS UNCHANGED FROM OUR Q4 OPERATIONS REVIEW RELEASED ON 18 JANUARY 2022.
• RIO TINTO LTD - IN JUNE 2022, WE EXPECT TO MAKE A US$1.1 BILLION FINAL PAYMENT TO AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE IN RESPECT OF 2021 CORPORATE PROFITS
• RIO TINTO LTD - CONTINUE TO INVEST PARTICULARLY IN RELATION TO DRIVE TO NET-ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS
• RIO TINTO LTD - $1.6 BILLION OF NET CASH1 AT YEAR END, COMPARED WITH NET DEBT1 OF $0.7 BILLION AT START OF YEAR
• RIO TINTO LTD - WILL IMPLEMENT ALL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM COMPREHENSIVE EXTERNAL REVIEW OF OUR WORKPLACE CULTURE
• RIO TINTO LTD SEES EFFECTIVE TAX RATE ON UNDERLYING EARNINGS OF ABOUT 30% IN 2022
• RIO TINTO LTD - IN 2022, WE EXPECT PILBARA IRON ORE UNIT CASH COSTS TO INCREASE TO $19.5-21.0 PER TONNE.
• RIO TINTO LTD - NET DEBT IMPROVED BY $2.2 BILLION IN 2021, ENDING YEAR WITH NET CASH OF $1.6 BILLION.
• RIO TINTO LTD - SET A NEW TARGET TO REDUCE OUR SCOPE 1 AND 2 CARBON EMISSIONS BY 50% BY 2030, MORE THAN TRIPLING OUR PREVIOUS TARGET
• RIO TINTO LTD - IN 2022, EXPECTS COPPER C1 UNIT COSTS TO RISE DUE TO LOWER BY-PRODUCT CREDITS
• RIO TINTO LTD - BRINGING FORWARD OUR 15% REDUCTION IN EMISSIONS TO 2025 (PREVIOUSLY 2030)
• RIO TINTO LTD - LABOUR SHORTAGES AND OTHER PRESSURES FROM COVID-19 HAVE HEIGHTENED THE SAFETY RISK IN DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS
• RIO TINTO LTD - COMMITTED FUNDING FOR JADAR LITHIUM-BORATES PROJECT IN SERBIA, SUBJECT TO RECEIVING ALL RELEVANT APPROVALS, PERMITS AND LICENCES
• RIO TINTO LTD - IN JANUARY 2022, GOVERNMENT OF SERBIA CANCELLED SPATIAL PLAN FOR JADAR PROJECT AND REQUIRED ALL RELATED PERMITS TO BE REVOKED
• RIO TINTO LTD - REVIEWING LEGAL BASIS OF DECISION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR ACTIVITIES AND PEOPLE IN SERBIA
• RIO TINTO LTD - EXPECTS TOTAL CASH RETURNS TO SHAREHOLDERS OVER LONGER TERM TO BE IN A RANGE OF 40 TO 60% OF UNDERLYING EARNINGS IN AGGREGATE THROUGH CYCLE
• RIO TINTO - INTENDS TO SUPPLEMENT ORDINARY DIVIDEND WITH ADDITIONAL RETURNS TO SHAREHOLDERS IN PERIODS OF STRONG EARNINGS AND CASH GENERATION.
• RIO TINTO: FOR 2022, COMMITTED TO ENGAGE WITH ALL DIRECT IRON ORE CUSTOMERS, REPRESENTING ABOUT 75% OF IRON ORE SALES AND RELATED SCOPE 3 EMISSIONS
• RIO TINTO - AT GUDAI-DARRI GREENFIELD IRON ORE MINE, FIRST PRODUCTION FROM MAIN PLANT EXPECTED IN Q2 OF 2022, SUBJECT TO CONTINUING IMPACTS OF COVID
• RIO TINTO - AT PILBARA OPERATIONS, ONGOING COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS & TIGHT LABOUR MARKET FURTHER IMPACTED ABILITY TO ACCESS EXPERIENCED CONTRACTORS
• RIO TINTO - AT OYU TOLGOI, SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION EXPECTED IN FIRST HALF OF 2023, WITH CAPITAL FORECAST AT $6.925 BILLION
• RIO TINTO - AT SIMANDOU IRON ORE PROJECT IN GUINEA, CO CONTINUES TO ENGAGE WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS IN-COUNTRY INCLUDING GOVERNMENT OF GUINEA
• RIO TINTO - AT SIMANDOU IRON ORE PROJECT, NEW DRILLING PROGRAMME HAS COMMENCED, & EARLY DEVELOPMENT WORKS EXPECTED TO BE CARRIED OUT IN 2022