{"id":45220,"date":"2026-07-27T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stocks-future.com\/?guid=ae30f0eccfdf2c6c1acb7b3c41a27596"},"modified":"2026-07-27T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T09:00:00","slug":"rio-tinto-and-wa-government-sign-agreements-with-yindjibarndi-waterco-for-proposed-sale-of-dampier-seawater-desalination-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/?p=45220","title":{"rendered":"Rio Tinto and WA Government sign agreements with Yindjibarndi WaterCo for proposed sale of Dampier Seawater Desalination Plant"},"content":{"rendered":"

KARRATHA, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rio Tinto and the Western Australian Government have signed non-binding agreements for a proposed sale of their respective joint venture shares in the Dampier Seawater Desalination Plant to Yindjibarndi WaterCo.<\/p><\/a><\/a>

\nRio Tinto and the WA Government are 50:50 joint venture partners<\/a> in the Dampier Seawater Desalination Plant.<\/p>

\nThe agreements establish a framework for the parties to pursue a transaction for Yindjibarndi WaterCo to acquire and operate the plant, which has a construction budget of A$1.1 billion and is expected to provide 8GL of desalinated water into the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme.<\/p>

\nA binding deal is targeted by the end of the year. Terms of the transaction are confidential, with the sale price subject to construction costs and related factors. Rio Tinto will remain responsible for managing the construction activities for the plant, with operational control proposed to transfer to Yindjibarndi WaterCo following construction completion, subject to a binding divestment agreement, due diligence processes and relevant approvals.<\/p>

\nConstruction of Stage 1 of the desalination plant, which has a 4GL annual desalination capacity, is expected to be completed this year, with first water anticipated in early 2027. It is expected to significantly reduce abstraction from the Bungaroo aquifer, which is culturally significant to the Robe River Kuruma People.<\/p>

\nStage 2 construction, which will add a further 4GL of annual capacity, has also commenced, with first water expected in 2027. Stage 2 is expected to reduce pressure on the Millstream aquifer, which is culturally significant to the Yindjibarndi People.<\/p>

\nThe proposed divestment reflects Rio Tinto's commitment to unlock capital as part of its strategy to deliver value for shareholders.<\/p>

\nWestern Australian Premier Roger Cook said: \u201cMy government is delivering the Dampier Seawater Desalination Plant in Karratha as part of our Seven Cities vision for regional Western Australia.<\/p>

\n\u201cThis critical piece of infrastructure will do more than just support Karratha\u2019s growing population.<\/p>

\n\u201cIt will help deliver a secure supply of water needed to deliver job-creating projects which will help to diversify the city\u2019s economy and keep WA\u2019s economy the strongest in the nation.<\/p>

\n\u201cWe are already working with Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation to improve the Millstream aquifer's sustainability, with the potential for Yindjibarndi WaterCo to acquire the Dampier desalination plant to further empower Traditional Owners while protecting culturally significant water sources in the Pilbara.\u201d<\/p>

\nRio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive Matthew Holcz said: \u201cThe Dampier Seawater Desalination Plant is important infrastructure for the West Pilbara to meet the long-term water needs of communities, industry and government, while respecting the cultural significance of water to Traditional Owners.<\/p>

\n\u201cYindjibarndi WaterCo has developed a compelling proposal for the future of the Dampier Seawater Desalination Plant. By working in partnership with Yindjibarndi WaterCo and the Western Australian Government on this arrangement, this project has the potential to create a lasting economic asset for the Yindjibarndi People, while supporting the long-term water needs of the West Pilbara.<\/p>

\n\u201cWhile Rio Tinto will continue to receive 4GL of water annually from the desalination plant to offset abstraction from the Bungaroo aquifer, we do not need to own and operate the infrastructure. This proposed transaction reflects our commitment to working with partners to deliver long term value and our disciplined approach to capital allocation.\u201d<\/p>

\nYindjibarndi Water Chairperson Michael Woodley said: \u201cThe agreement results from the Yindjibarndi People's longstanding drive to protect water on our Ngurra (Country), and our goal to build shared understanding and shared responsibility.<\/p>

\n\u201cWe warmly acknowledge the Western Australian Government and Rio Tinto \u2013 our partners in this agreement \u2013 and our capability partners, The Right Water Company and Affinity Capital Group, for delivering this significant milestone.<\/p>

\n\u201cThis is another step on the Yindjibarndi path to self-determination by delivering a secure, long-term economic return and, over time, enabling us to grow operational capability through employment, training and contracting arrangements.\"<\/p> Contacts<\/b>

\nPlease direct all enquiries to media.enquiries@riotinto.com<\/b><\/a><\/p>

\nMedia Relations,<\/b>United Kingdom<\/b>Matthew Klar<\/b>M <\/b>+44 7796 630 637\nDavid Outhwaite<\/b>M<\/b> +44 7787 597 493\n<\/p>

\nMedia Relations,<\/b>Australia<\/b>Matt Chambers<\/b>M<\/b> +61 433 525 739\nAlyesha Anderson\nM <\/b>+61 434 868 118\nRachel Pupazzoni<\/b>M <\/b>+61 438 875 469\nBruce Tobin<\/b>M <\/b>+61 419 103 454<\/p>

\nMedia Relations,<\/b>Canada<\/b>Vanessa Damha<\/b>M <\/b>+1 514 715 2152\nMalika Cherry<\/b>M<\/b> +1 418 592 7293<\/p>

\nMedia Relations,<\/b>US & Latin America<\/b>Jesse Riseborough<\/b>M<\/b> +1 202 394 9480<\/p>

\nInvestor Relations,<\/b>United Kingdom<\/b>Rachel Arellano\nM <\/b>+44 7584 609 644\nDavid Ovington<\/b>M<\/b> +44 7920 010 978\nLaura Brooks<\/b>M<\/b> +44 7826 942 797\nWeiwei Hu<\/b>M<\/b> +44 7825 907 230<\/p>

\nInvestor Relations,<\/b>Australia<\/b>Tom Gallop<\/b>M<\/b> +61 439 353 948\nEddie Gan-Och\nM <\/b>+61 477 599 714<\/p>

\nRio Tinto plc<\/b>6 St James\u2019s Square\nLondon SW1Y 4AD\nUnited Kingdom\nT<\/b> +44 20 7781 2000\nRegistered in England\nNo. 719885<\/p>

\nRio Tinto Limited<\/b>Level 43, 120 Collins Street\nMelbourne 3000\nAustralia\nT<\/b> +61 3 9283 3333\nRegistered in Australia\nABN 96 004 458 404<\/p>

\nriotinto.com<\/b><\/a><\/p>

\nCategory: Pilbara<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KARRATHA, Australia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Rio Tinto and the Western Australian Government have signed non-binding agreements for a proposed sale of their respective joint venture shares in the Dampier Seawater Desalination Plant to Yindjibarndi WaterCo.
\nRi…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-infos-businesswire"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45220"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45221,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45220\/revisions\/45221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}