Rio Tinto approves new solar plant to power Kennecott
13 Noviembre 2024 - 9:02AM
Business Wire
Rio Tinto has approved construction of a new 25-megawatt solar
plant at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah, bringing the
mine’s total solar capacity to 30MW.
The new solar plant will be located next to Kennecott’s existing
5MW solar plant, which was completed in 2023. Together, the two
solar plants will reduce Kennecott’s Scope 2 emissions by
approximately 6%, or 21,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per
year. This is equivalent to removing around 5,000 gas-powered
passenger cars from the road.
Construction of the 25MW solar plant is expected to be completed
next year and create short-term employment opportunities for up to
100 laborers, as well as a small number of long-term operations and
maintenance roles. Bechtel Corporation will design and manage
construction of the plant.
Kennecott, which already has one of the lowest carbon footprints
of any copper producer in the U.S., has reduced its carbon
footprint more than 80% since 2018 through initiatives such as
closing its coal-powered power plant, building a 5MW solar farm,
transitioning the mining fleet to renewable diesel, and using
battery electric vehicles in underground mining.
Rio Tinto Kennecott Managing Director Nate Foster said:
“Expanding our solar farm is the latest step in our journey to
reduce our carbon footprint. Together with other measures we’ve
taken, such as closing a coal-fired power plant, deploying battery
electric vehicles underground, and our recent transition to
renewable diesel, we have reduced our emissions by millions of tons
over the past few years.
“We’re demonstrating every day that sustainable practices and
resource production can go hand-in-hand to benefit our company as
well as our community.”
The 210-acre solar array will include more than 71,000 panels,
which contain tellurium produced by Kennecott, a byproduct of
mining and refining copper. In 2022, Kennecott became one of only
two U.S. producers of this critical mineral. Both copper and
tellurium are vital components of photovoltaic solar panels.
Notes to editors
Rio Tinto has committed to reducing its Scope 1 and 2 emissions
by 50% by 2030, on the way to net zero by 2050. While 72% of the
electricity the company uses comes from renewable sources, our
current focus is on replacing electricity generated from gas and
coal with solutions like solar PV, wind, and other renewable
technologies. This shift will significantly reduce emissions across
our mines, processing plants, and supporting infrastructure, and
enable lower generation costs than fossil fuel alternatives.
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