Rio Tinto Limited (ASX:RIO, NYSE:RIO) has announced it will close its Lynemouth aluminium smelter in Northumberland in England at the end of this month.
Rio’s aluminum division says the decision was made after an extensive period of consultation and a thorough strategic review.
More than 300 of the 515 employees at the smelter will be made redundant in May and only some operational activity will continue this year.
Rio says it will now focus on decommissioning the plant and that it is in talks concerning the sale of the Lynemouth Power Station.
Rio Tinto reported a full year net profit of $6.7 billion in fiscal 2011.
