Rio Tinto will search for new copper areas in Central Asia

Rio Tinto said today it will commit funds for an exploration drive in Central Asia, aiming to unearth the world's next giant copper deposit. The global miner plans to start drilling in Uzbekistan this year and is ready to proceed with a joint venture in Kazakhstan to explore multiple copper targets, Rio Tinto's general manager for exploration in Central Asia Chris Welton said.

The executive believes that mapping conduced by Soviet authorities does not reveal the potential for copper mining in Kazakhstan, and technology leaps could make deposits feasible today. "We look at Kazakhstan and say: 'The geology's right. It's got great potential and there's been very little modern exploration done'”, Welton added.