Rio Tinto to build battery lab in Australia to test green technology

Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO) said Wednesday it will build a battery lab in Australia where it can experiment with technologies to enhance its understanding of battery production, manufacturing and chemistry.

“At this lab we will build our own batteries, allowing us to test how our minerals and other products will perform in real-world applications, such as in electric vehicle batteries,” the head of Rio’s (RIO) minerals business, Sinead Kaufman, told a conference in Brisbane, adding the laboratory would be operational starting in November.

Rio Tinto (RIO), which currently relies on iron ore for most of its earnings, does not intend to become a commercial battery manufacturer, but it set up a battery materials business in 2021 as part of a strategy to expand production of commodities essential to a clean energy transition.

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