Rio Tinto statement in response to baseless accusations by opponents of the Jadar Project

Over the weekend opponents of the Project made several unsubstantiated and baseless accusations against Rio Tinto. The claims continue a trend of activist groups spreading inaccurate, groundless claims about our company which are then reported by select media outlets without any verification. As an example of false and unsubstantiated information activist organisations have said and media outlets have reported that more than 100,000 people will be displaced because of the Jadar Project. This is absolutely false information. The Project impacts 52 households of permanent residents out of which Rio Tinto has voluntarily purchased 51 households. These 51 households have been resettled with the active support of our company.

Rio Tinto strongly rejects the claims the company is corrupt. The company has stringent rules dictating how we work based on the company values and breaches of those standards are not tolerated.

Claims that Rio Tinto severely impact the areas where we operate internationally are baseless. Rio Tinto shares details about all its global operations and activities in Serbia publicly through disclosures to regulatory bodies and civil societies, among other international organisations, as well as on its website. This includes details about the impacts and mitigation measures of our operations to water, land, agriculture and biodiversity.

Various stakeholders’ ongoing efforts to share false and fabricated claims about Rio Tinto without evidence damages the opportunity to discuss the environmental, economic, and technological merits of the Jadar Project based on facts. These false and fabricated claims directly impact the opportunity to realise the economic benefits of the Jadar Project.

The Jadar Project can generate thousands of highly-skilled high-paying jobs in the Loznica region and broader Serbia through direct employment and support to local businesses. The Loznica municipality will directly benefit from a share of mineral royalties which can be reinvested into community infrastructure. The project can also catalyse investment in other green economy sectors in Serbia which will increase employment, national incomes and skills.

Rio Tinto has stated publicly we are continuing to engage with all stakeholders and in the last six months have held public meetings in Loznica and surrounding areas attended by approximately 2500 community members, which have been positive, open discussions. These sessions are open to all members of the general public including activists.

As a further commitment to transparency, we are also prepared to publicly release the “as is” draft Environmental Impact Assessments to support a public dialogue about the future of the Jadar Project even though the cancellation of the project permits in January 2022 stopped the formal regulatory review process.

The Jadar Project would be developed sustainably, supported by community-based monitoring programs to ensure transparency around the environmental impacts. To protect the company from further damages, Rio Tinto will use all available legal options to protect its reputation and rights under applicable law in response to false claims and accusations against the company.