Sec Form 13D Filing - RIO TINTO PLC filing for TURQUOISE HILL RES LTD COM (TRQ) - 2022-08-25

CONFIDENTIAL

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 13D/A

Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. 29)*

TURQUOISE HILL RESOURCES LTD.

(formerly Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.)

(Name of Issuer)

Common Shares, without par value

(Title of class of securities)

900435108

(CUSIP Number)

Steven Allen, Company Secretary

6 St James’s Square

London SW1Y 4AD

United Kingdom

+44 (0) 20 7781 2000

(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to Receive Notices and Communications)

with copy to:

Scott D. Miller

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

125 Broad Street

New York, New York 10004

+1 212 558-4000

August 24, 2022

(Date of Event which Requires Filing of this Statement)

If the filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule 13G to report the acquisition that is the subject of this Schedule 13D, and is filing this schedule because of §§ 240.13d-1(e), 240.13d-1(f) or 240.13d-1(g), check the following box.  ☐

The information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).

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Item 1. Security and Issuer

This Amendment No. 29 to Schedule 13D amends and supplements the statement on Schedule 13D originally filed by Rio Tinto plc (“Rio Tinto”) and Rio Tinto International Holdings Limited (“RTIH”, and together with Rio Tinto, 7999674 Canada Inc., 46117 Yukon Inc. and 535630 Yukon Inc., the “Rio Tinto Companies”) on November 3, 2006, and amended on September 12, 2007, October 26, 2007, January 7, 2008, April 10, 2008, October 30, 2009, March 4, 2010, July 7, 2010, September 13, 2010, December 14, 2010, February 4, 2011, June 28, 2011, August 24, 2011, September 27, 2011, December 12, 2011, January 26, 2012, April 20, 2012, May 24, 2012, August 2, 2012, July 3, 2013, July 9, 2013, August 14, 2013, August 28, 2013, January 13, 2015, September 14, 2020, April 9, 2021,January 25, 2022, March 14, 2022 and May 18, 2022 (as amended and supplemented, the “Schedule 13D”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), relating to the common shares, without par value (the “Shares”), of Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd. (formerly Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.), a corporation continued under the laws of the Yukon Territory, Canada (the “Company”).

Item 2. Identity and Background

Item 2 of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

This Schedule 13D is being filed by Rio Tinto, a public limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales, RTIH, a company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales, 7999674 Canada Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of Canada, 46117 Yukon Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of the Yukon Territory, Canada, and 535630 Yukon Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of the Yukon Territory, Canada.

Rio Tinto, through its group companies, has mining operations around the world. RTIH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto and is a major investment holding company for the group. 7999674 Canada Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto and is not engaged in any activities except for the holding of Shares. 46117 Yukon Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto and is not engaged in any activities except for the holding of Shares. 535630 Yukon Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto and is not engaged in any activities except for the holding of Shares.

The principal executive office of Rio Tinto is located at 6 St James’s Square, London, SW1Y 4AD, United Kingdom. The principal executive office of RTIH is located at 6 St James’s Sq uare, London, SW1Y 4AD, United Kingdom. The principal executive office of 7999674 Canada Inc. is located at 400-1190 Ave. Des Canadiens-De-Montreal, Montreal, H3B 0E3, Canada. The principal executive office of 46117 Yukon Inc. is located at 200 – 204 Lambert Street, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 3T2, Canada. The principal executive office of 535630 Yukon Inc. is located at 200 – 204 Lambert Street, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 3T2, Canada.

The name, business address, present principal occupation or employment and citizenship of each of the executive officers and directors of each of the Rio Tinto Companies are set forth in Schedule A hereto and are incorporated by reference herein.

During the last five years, none of the Rio Tinto Companies nor, to the best of their knowledge, any of the persons listed in Schedule A hereto has been: (i) convicted in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations or similar misdemeanors) or (ii) a party to a civil proceeding of a judicial or administrative body of competent jurisdiction and as a result of such proceeding was or is subject to a judgment, decree or final order enjoining future violations of, or prohibiting or mandating activities subject to, federal or state securities laws or finding any violation with respect to such laws.

The Rio Tinto Companies are party to a Joint Filing Agreement, dated January 15, 2014, a copy of which is filed with this Schedule 13D as Exhibit H, pursuant to which they have agreed to file this Schedule 13D jointly in accordance with the provisions of Rule 13d-1(k)(1) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

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Item 4. Purpose of Transaction

Item 4 of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended and supplemented as follows:

On August 24, 2022 RTIH submitted to the Board of Directors of the Company an improved non-binding proposal for a transaction in which Rio Tinto would acquire all of the outstanding share capital in the Company that is not owned by Rio Tinto (the “Improved Proposal”). Under the Improved Proposal, the Company’s minority shareholders (i.e. holders of the approximately 49% of the shares capital not owned directly or indirectly by Rio Tinto) would receive C$40 in cash per share, an increase from the original proposal made in March 2022 of C$34 per share. On August 24, 2022, Rio Tinto also issued a press release (the “Press Release”) in connection with the Improved Proposal.

The Improved Proposal is subject to the same conditions as the original proposal, including, among other matters, agreement on transaction structure, the negotiation and execution of mutually acceptable definitive transaction documents, and the formal approval of the proposed transaction by the Boards of Directors of Rio Tinto and the Company. No assurances can be given that a definitive transaction documents with respect to the Improved Proposal will be entered into, as to the final terms of any agreed transaction or that a transaction will be consummated.

The Improved Proposal could result in one or more of the actions specified in clauses (a) through (j) of Item 4 of Schedule 13D, including a plan of arrangement or other extraordinary transaction involving the Company, the delisting of the Company’s securities from the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange, and a class of equity securities of the Company becoming eligible for termination of registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. One or more of the Rio Tinto Companies are expected to take actions in furtherance of the Improved Proposal or any amendment thereof. The Rio Tinto Companies may (subject to compliance with its other obligations and applicable law) at any time, or from time to time, acquire additional shares in the Company; propose, pursue, or choose not to pursue the Improved Proposal; change the terms of the Improved Proposal, including the price, form of consideration, conditions, or scope of the transaction; take any action in or out of the ordinary course of business to facilitate or increase the likelihood of consummation of the Improved Proposal; otherwise seek control or seek to influence the management and policies of the Company; or change their intentions with respect to any such matters.

The Improved Proposal is a non-binding indication of interest and is subject to negotiation of structure and definitive transaction documentation and the approval of the Improved Proposal by the Boards of Directors of the Company and Rio Tinto. The Improved Proposal shall not create any agreement, arrangement or understanding between the Reporting Persons or other parties with respect to the Company or the Shares for purposes of any law, rule, regulation, agreement or otherwise, until such time as definitive transaction documentation has been approved by the Board and the Board of Directors of Rio Tinto and thereafter executed and delivered by the Company and all other appropriate parties.

While the Improved Proposal remains under consideration or negotiation by the Company and its Board of Directors, the Rio Tinto Companies may respond to inquiries from, and negotiate the terms thereof with, the Company and its Board of Directors or their respective representatives or other shareholders of the Company. These negotiations may include changes or proposed changes to the terms of the Improved Proposal.

Other than as described in the Schedule 13D, none of the Reporting Persons has any plans or proposals of the type referred to in clauses (a) through (j) of Item 4 of Schedule 13D, although they and their affiliates reserve the right to formulate such plans or proposals in the future. If the proposed transaction is not consummated, the Rio Tinto Companies and their affiliates will continue to regularly review and assess their investment in the Company and depending on market conditions and other factors may determine, from time to time, to engage in any of the events set forth in clauses (a) through (j) of Item 4 of Schedule 13D.

The foregoing descriptions of the Improved Proposal and Press Release do not purport to be complete and the description of the Press Release is qualified in its entirety by the text of the Press Release which is filed herewith as Exhibit A and is incorporated herein by reference. The original proposal is incorporated by reference as Exhibit C.

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Item 5. Interest in Securities of the Issuer

Item 5 of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

Rio Tinto beneficially owns 102,196,643 Shares, representing 50.8 percent of the outstanding Shares. Such Shares are held by Rio Tinto indirectly through RTIH (as to 43,947,833 Shares, representing 21.8 percent of the outstanding Shares, which are also beneficially owned by RTIH), indirectly through 7999674 Canada Inc. (as to 21,510,000 Shares, representing 10.7 percent of the outstanding Shares, which are also beneficially owned by 7999674 Canada Inc.), indirectly through 46117 Yukon Inc. (as to 15,228,810 Shares, representing 7.6 percent of the outstanding Shares, which are also beneficially owned by 46117 Yukon Inc.) and indirectly through 535630 Yukon Inc. (as to 21,510,000 shares, representing 10.7 percent of the outstanding Shares, which are also beneficially owned by 535630 Yukon Inc.).

Rio Tinto has anti-dilution rights that permit it to acquire additional securities of the Company so as to maintain its proportional equity interest in the Company.

Rio Tinto also has the right, subject to the terms and conditions of its financing support agreement with the Company, to require that the Company effect an equity contribution by way of private placement of Shares to Rio Tinto or a rights offering in the event a fact or circumstance occurs which (i) affects or could reasonably be expected to affect the Company’s ability to meet its obligations under the sponsor debt service undertaking that the Company entered into with Rio Tinto, the project lenders and agents representing such lenders or (ii) gives rise to an event of default or completion default under the agreements entered into in connection with the OT project finance facility.

The percentages of Shares reflected above and in the responses in Row (13) of the cover pages of this Schedule 13D with respect to each of the Rio Tinto Companies are based on 201,231,446 outstanding Shares as of March 23, 2022, as disclosed by the Company in its Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Management Proxy Circular attached as an Exhibit to the Company’s Report on Form 6-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on April 5, 2022.

In addition, with respect to each of the Rio Tinto Companies, each of the Rio Tinto Companies shares voting power and dispositive power with respect to the Shares beneficially owned by such person.

Except as disclosed in this Schedule 13D, none of the Rio Tinto Companies nor, to the best of their knowledge, any of the persons listed in Schedule A hereto, beneficially owns any Shares or has the right to acquire any Shares.

Except as disclosed in this Schedule 13D, none of the Rio Tinto Companies nor, to the best of their knowledge, any of the persons listed in Schedule A hereto, presently has the power to vote or to direct the vote or to dispose or direct the disposition of any other Shares which they may be deemed to beneficially own.

Except as disclosed in this Schedule 13D, none of the Rio Tinto Companies nor, to the best of their knowledge, any of the persons listed in Schedule A hereto, has effected any transaction in the Shares during the past 60 days.

To the best respective knowledge of the Rio Tinto Companies, no other person has the right to receive or the power to direct the receipt of dividends from, or the proceeds from the sale of, the Shares beneficially owned by the Rio Tinto Companies.

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Item 6. Contracts, Arrangements, Understandings or Relationships with Respect to Securities of the Issuer

Item 6 of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended and supplemented as follows:

The disclosure set forth in response to Item 4 is hereby incorporated by reference in this Item 6.

Item 7. Materials to be Filed as Exhibits

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SIGNATURES

After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, each of the undersigned certifies that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

Dated: August 25, 2022

SCHEDULE A*

The response set forth in Schedule A of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended and restated in its entirety with the information below:

Rio Tinto plc

Directors and Executive Officers

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Rio Tinto International Holdings Limited

Directors and Executive Officers

7999674 Canada Inc.

Directors and Executive Officers

46117 Yukon Inc.

Director and Executive Officer

535630 Yukon Inc.

Director and Executive Officer

EXHIBIT INDEX