Rio Tinto PLC (LON:RIO) has cut its refined copper guidance for the year after problems with a smelter at its Kennecott mine near Salt Lake City, Utah.
The mine has experienced delays to the restart of the smelter “due to unexpected issues that appeared following planned maintenance”, the FTSE 100 mining giant said in a brief statement.
With the smelter expected to be out of action for another two months, Rio has reduced its guidance for group copper production this year to 135,000-175,000 tonnes from 165,000-205,000 tonnes.
Rio said its local team was working with customers to limit disruptions.
Kennecott, which has been mining and processing minerals from the Bingham Canyon mine since 1903, was hit by a 5.7-magnitude earthquake close to the town of Magna earlier this year.