Sept 10 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto RIO.AX RIO.L said on Thursday it plans to raise up to $500 million through additional lending to develop its giant Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia.
The Mongolian state has a 34% stake in the Oyu Tolgoi project, while Rio's majority-owned Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd TRQ.TO owns the remaining.
Rio and Turquoise Hill will jointly pursue the reprofiling process by engaging with existing project finance lenders, and expect a reduction of up to $1.4 billion in the funding requirements for Oyu Tolgoi.