OREANDA-NEWS. Rio Tinto chief executive Sam Walsh said "Today I am setting out how we can build on our strengths and improve this great company. Under my leadership, Rio Tinto will have an unrelenting focus on pursuing greater value for shareholders. To do this we need to run the business as owners not managers and my immediate priority is to build more focus, discipline and accountability throughout the organisation. Demonstrating this commitment, we will deliver our capital reduction and cost savings targets and improve performance across our business."

• Reinforcing capital allocation discipline

- Pursuing greater value for shareholders by investing capital only in assets that, after prudent assessment, offer attractive returns that are well above our cost of capital.
- Balancing the use of capital between returns to shareholders and capital expenditure, while aiming to maintain a strong balance sheet with a single A credit rating.

• Improving performance at existing businesses

- Targeting cumulative cash cost savings of more than USD 5 billion by the end of 2014, equivalent to an annual run rate of USD 3 billion by 2014, assuming stable market and operating conditions.
- Reducing capital expenditure on approved and sustaining projects to approximately USD 13 billion in 2013.
- Lowering exploration and evaluation spending by USD 750 million (pre-tax) in 2013 compared with 2012.

• Delivering approved growth projects with two significant milestones in 2013:

- Phase one Pilbara iron ore expansion to 290 Mt/a has been accelerated and is now scheduled for completion during the third quarter of 2013. Phase two expansion to 360 Mt/a to be operational by the first half of 2015.
- Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine now being commissioned with first commercial production scheduled by the end of June 2013. Discussions with the Government of Mongolia regarding the continuing implementation of the Investment Agreement are ongoing.

2012 financial results

2012 underlying financial results reflect record iron ore production and shipments and a second half recovery in copper volumes. This was in the context of lower average market prices in 2012 which reduced underlying earnings by USD 5.3 billion compared with 2011:

- Underlying earnings1 of USD 9.3 billion.
- Net loss of USD 3.0 billion after impairments of USD 14.4 billion, primarily relating to aluminium businesses as well as coal assets in Mozambique.
- 15 per cent increase in full year dividend to 167 cents per share.

The financial results are prepared in accordance with IFRS and are unaudited. 1Underlying earnings is the key financial performance indicator which management uses internally to assess performance. It is presented here to provide greater understanding of the underlying business performance of the Group's operations attributable to the owners of Rio Tinto. Net earnings and underlying earnings relate to profit attributable to owners of Rio Tinto. Underlying earnings is defined and reconciled to net earnings on page 12.

About Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and New York Stock Exchange listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, thermal and metallurgical coal, uranium, gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide and salt) and iron ore. Activities span the world and are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America.

Forward-looking statements

This announcement includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this announcement, including, without limitation, those regarding Rio Tinto's financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives of management for future operations (including development plans and objectives relating to Rio Tinto's products, production forecasts and reserve and resource positions), are forward-looking statements.

Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Rio Tinto, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding Rio Tinto's present and future business strategies and the environment in which Rio Tinto will operate in the future. Among the important factors that could cause Rio Tinto's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among others, levels of actual production during any period, levels of demand and market prices, the ability to produce and transport products profitably, the impact of foreign currency exchange rates on market prices and operating costs, operational problems, political uncertainty and economic conditions in relevant areas of the world, the actions of competitors, activities by governmental authorities such as changes in taxation or regulation and such other risk factors identified in Rio Tinto's most recent Annual Report and Accounts in Australia and the United Kingdom and the most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") or Form 6-Ks furnished to, or filed with, the SEC. Forward-looking statements should, therefore, be construed in light of such risk factors and undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. Rio Tinto expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking (except as required by applicable law, the UK Listing Rules, the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the Financial Services Authority and the Listing Rules of the Australian Securities Exchange) to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Rio Tinto's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Nothing in this announcement should be interpreted to mean that future earnings per share of Rio Tinto plc or Rio Tinto Limited will necessarily match or exceed its historical published earnings per share.