Sec Form 13D Filing - RIO TINTO PLC filing for TURQUOISE HILL RES LTD COM (TRQ) - 2022-11-25

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 13D/A

Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. 35)*

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

November 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. 35 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, May 18, 2022, August 25, 2022, September 1, 2022, September 6, 2022, October 25, 2022, November 2, 2022 and November 17, 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”).

All references herein to “$” and “US$” are to U.S. dollars and all references to “C$” are to Canadian dollars.

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 Square, 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 X, 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:

As previously reported, on September 5, 2022, Rio Tinto, RTIH and the Company entered into a definitive arrangement agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) in respect of a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Yukon) (the “YBCA”). The Arrangement Agreement provides for the terms and conditions pursuant to which Rio Tinto has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding share capital in the Company that is not owned directly or indirectly by Rio Tinto and the Company’s minority shareholders (i.e. holders of the approximately 49% of the Company’s share capital that is not owned directly or indirectly by Rio Tinto) (the “Minority Shareholders”) would receive C$43.00 in cash per Share.

The terms of the Arrangement Agreement further provide that the Transaction will be implemented by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Yukon) (the “Plan of Arrangement”). The Plan of Arrangement and the implementation of the arrangement set forth therein between the Company, its shareholders, RTIH and Rio Tinto (the “Arrangement”) is subject to the review and approval of the Supreme Court of Yukon. In addition, the Arrangement is subject to certain other conditions, including, among other customary closing conditions, (i) approval of sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66-2/3%) of votes cast by shareholders of the Company (including the Rio Tinto Companies) (the “Company Shareholders”) and (ii) approval of a majority of votes cast by the Minority Shareholders.

The Arrangement Agreement and the Arrangement have been approved by the Boards of Directors of the Company (the “Company Board”) and a special committee of the Company Board comprised solely of independent directors (the “Special Committee”).

As previously reported, on November 1, 2022, in connection with the Arrangement Agreement, RTIH and Rio Tinto entered into agreements (each, a “Withholding Shareholder Agreement”) with certain Minority Shareholders affiliated with Pentwater Capital Management LP and Sailingstone Capital Partners LLC (such Minority Shareholders collectively, the “Withholding Shareholders”), pursuant to which, among other things, each Withholding Shareholder agreed to conduct any dissent proceedings relating to the Arrangement and certain other claims by arbitration in accordance with the terms of the applicable Withholding Shareholder Agreement.

As previously reported, on November 17, 2022, RTIH, Rio Tinto entered into agreements (the “Termination Agreements”) with the Withholding Shareholders, pursuant to which RTIH, Rio Tinto and the Withholding Shareholders have agreed to terminate each of the Withholding Shareholder Agreements. Pursuant to the Termination Agreements, the provisions of the Withholding Shareholder Agreements are terminated and neither RTIH, Rio Tinto nor any of the Withholding Shareholders have any further liability or obligation thereunder. Other than the Termination Agreements, there is no agreement, understanding or commitment between RTIH or Rio Tinto on the one hand and any of the Withholding Shareholders on the other hand, including in any way related to the Arrangement Agreement, any oppression or other claims of the Withholding Shareholders or any of their respective affiliates or any other matter.

As previously reported, on November 17, 2022, Rio Tinto issued a press release (the “Update Press Release”), a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit D. As set forth in the Update Press Release, in addition to announcing entry into the Termination Agreements, Rio Tinto also reaffirmed that all Minority Shareholders (including the Withholding Shareholders) have access to the same dissent rights and statutory processes in accordance with the provisions of Section 193 of the YBCA and the interim order, as amended, relating to the Arrangement, as set forth in further details in the Company’s management proxy circular dated September 27, 2022 (the “Circular”), as supplemented by the supplement, dated November 24, 2022, to the Circular (the “Circular Supplement”). The Circular Supplement provides that, among other things, a special meeting of the Company Shareholders to consider and, if advisable, pass a special resolution approving the Arrangement, will be held on December 9, 2022 at 12:00 pm. (Montréal time), as further set forth in the amended interim order attached to the Circular Supplement.

On November 24, 2022, RTIH, Rio Tinto and the Company entered into an amendment to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement Amendment”) in order to amend the Plan of Arrangement to give effect to commitments previously described in the Update Press Release (the “Amended Plan of Arrangement”).

Pursuant to the terms of the Arrangement Agreement Amendment, the Amended Plan of Arrangement and the Circular Supplement, as applicable, Rio Tinto agreed to:

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The foregoing descriptions of the Arrangement Agreement Amendment, Circular Supplement, Termination Agreements, the Update Press Release, the Withholding Shareholder Agreements and the Arrangement Agreement do not purport to be complete and they are qualified in their entirety by reference to Exhibit A, B, C, D, E, F, G and J respectively, which are incorporated herein by reference.

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 Arrangement 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.

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 September 30, 2022, as disclosed by the Company in its Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation for the period ended September 30, 2022 attached as an Exhibit to the Company’s Report on Form 6-K filed with the SEC on November 14, 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.

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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.

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.

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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: November 25, 2022

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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:

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EXHIBIT INDEX

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