Rio Tinto has agreed to acquire the Aurukun Bauxite Project in Queensland from the Glencore–Mitsubishi Development joint venture, strengthening its long-term bauxite position in Australia’s Cape York region. The transaction, announced on September 8, 2026, is subject to regulatory and government approvals.
Aurukun is a proposed greenfield open-cut bauxite mine located approximately 35 kilometres south of Weipa and 23 kilometres northeast of Aurukun on the Cape York Peninsula. The project had previously been jointly developed by Glencore Bauxite Resources Pty Ltd and MDP Bauxite Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation.
Aurukun Could Add 8 million tonnes of Bauxite Supply
The proposed mine is designed to extract up to 15 million tonnes per year of run-of-mine bauxite ore. After screening and washing through an on-site beneficiation plant, the project is expected to produce up to around 8 million dry tonnes of product bauxite annually.
The planned development includes the mine, beneficiation facilities, an accommodation village, water supply infrastructure, a dedicated haul road and a coastal loading facility. Product bauxite would be transported to the coast and transferred to ocean-going vessels for export. The project has an estimated lifespan of around 25 years, including approximately two years of construction.
Project Infrastructure Is Designed Around Export Logistics
Aurukun has already progressed through a major stage of the environmental approval process. The Queensland Government issued the project’s Environmental Impact Statement assessment report on April 30, 2025, completing the state-level EIS process.
 However, additional approvals and development decisions are still required before construction and commercial production can begin.
The acquisition is strategically important for Rio Tinto because the company already operates major bauxite assets and export infrastructure in the broader Weipa and Cape York region. Bringing Aurukun into its portfolio could allow Rio Tinto to strengthen its regional resource base and potentially benefit from existing mining experience, logistics networks and infrastructure.
Bauxite Market Outlook
For Australia’s bauxite industry, Aurukun represents a potentially significant future supply source. However, the project remains at the development stage, and its commissioning timeline has not yet been confirmed. The next key milestones will include completion of the acquisition, remaining regulatory approvals, a final investment decision and the start of construction.
If developed successfully, Aurukun could become another long-life bauxite operation within Rio Tinto’s Australian portfolio and contribute additional export-oriented supply from Queensland over the coming decades.
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