Rio Tinto Group to Expand Capacity at Bingham Mine

Rio Tinto Group, fending off a $189 billion hostile bid from BHP Billiton Ltd., will expand capacity at its Kennecott U.S. copper unit by 20 percent and more than double the life of the Bingham Canyon mine.

Upgrades to a conveyer in the second half will boost refinery capacity to 327,000 metric tons a year, London-based Rio said Friday. Capacity is currently about 272,000 tons.