Rio Tinto weighs options to 'monetise' Kennecott copper smelter
RIO•Rio Tinto considers options for Kennecott smelter
MELBOURNE, July 29 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto RIO.AX Chief Executive Simon Trott said on Wednesday the miner was considering how to best monetise its Kennecott copper smelter in the United States.
In response to a question on an analyst call about whether Rio Tinto needs to consider buyouts to grow its copper business, Trott said the company "was thinking about ways we can best monetise" the smelter in Utah, one of only two U.S. copper smelters.
Rio Tinto has said it plans to release $5 billion to $10 billion in cash from portfolio optimisation.
