Rio Tinto, the world's second-largest metals and mining corporation, said it plans to switch from fossil fuel consumption to renewable diesel at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah.
The plan covers the site’s fleet of 90 haul trucks and all heavy machinery, as well as consumption from the concentrator, smelter, and refinery. The site will begin to transition to renewable diesel in the first quarter of 2024. Renewable diesel is a hydrocarbon that can be produced by several different technologies. It is made from renewable biogenic materials, and production and consumption of the alternative fuel are expected to increase rapidly in the coming years, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The move to renewable diesel will reduce Kennecott’s Scope 1 emissions by approximately 495,000 tons of carbon equivalent per year. The company said it will be supplied the renewable diesel through the existing supply chain and as part of its partnership with HF Sinclair, an independent petroleum refiner in the United States.
The announcement comes as Rio Tinto has made other efforts around the world at its sites to add some decarbonization elements. Most recently, Rio Tinto partnered with Prysmian in a supply agreement for low-carbon aluminum, with plans to develop solutions to meet North American electrification demand. Plus, the company is building out solar power and hydrogen power pilots at some of its sites.
“Transitioning Kennecott completely to renewable diesel builds on a suite of decarbonization initiatives that have reduced carbon emissions from the operation by 65% since 2019,” Rio Tinto Copper Chief Operating Officer Clayton Walker said in a statement. “This is an important next step in our commitment to finding new and better ways to reduce operational emissions while producing materials essential to the global energy transition.”
The company has an overall target of reducing its Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2050. The plan to switch to renewable diesel comes after a 7-month trial at Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon mine in collaboration with Cummins to test renewable diesel in different environments and on different equipment.
“Combined with Rio Tinto's U.S. Borax operation -- which completed the full transition of its heavy machinery from fossil diesel to renewable diesel in May 2023 -- this initiative would replace 11% of Rio Tinto's global fossil diesel consumption with renewable diesel,” Jonathon McCarthy, chief decarbonization officer at Rio Tinto, said in a statement. “The use of drop-in fuel such as renewable diesel will allow Rio Tinto to reduce emissions in the short term, complementing ongoing work towards the commercial readiness of longer-term technical solutions such as battery electric haul trucks.”
