Mongolian mining minister Sumiyabazar Dolgorsuren says he hopes Rio Tinto's Oyu Tolgoi copper mine will have a working relationship with the operator of the country's Tavan Tolgoi coal mine, but says he is flexible as to whether a power station should be built at the coal mine or at the copper mine.

Supply of power to Oyu Tolgoi, Rio's top global growth project, has become a major issue in 2018 after Mongolia terminated an agreement that allowed Rio and its subsidiaries to import the mine's power supply from China.