Jan 14 (Reuters) - Global miner Rio Tinto said on Thursday it had reached an agreement with Meridian Energy , an electricity provider, which would allow its aluminium smelter in New Zealand to continue operations till December 2024.

Rio Tinto had said in July it would close the New Zealand Aluminium Smelters venture due to high costs and a challenging market, putting over a thousand jobs on the line and dealing a blow to the country's top power producers. (Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru; Editing by Amy Caren Daniel)