The company’s integrated Pilbara power and gas network will be upgraded with a $520m investment and a further $313m will be allocated to fuel infrastructure facilities.
Rio Tinto said the projects are needed to support annual production capacity of 283 million tonnes (mt/a), a milestone the company has targeted for 2013.
The fuel infrastructure project will also help support the next phase of potential expansion to 333mt/a in 2015.
Rio Tinto’s Iron Ore and Australia chief executive Sam Walsh said this investment marks yet another significant step towards the expansion of iron ore production by 50% in the five years to 2015.
"These projects provide certainty in meeting our power and fuel supply requirements, both now and into the future," Walsh said.
