Rio Tinto will replace its entire fossil diesel consumption with renewable diesel at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah from 2024, the mining company has confirmed.
Kennecott’s fleet of 90 haul trucks and all heavy machinery will begin to transition to renewable diesel in the March quarter of 2024, along with consumption from the concentrator, smelter and refinery. HF Sinclair is set to provide the fuel.
The transition will reduce Kennecott’s Scope 1 carbon emissions by approximately 495,000 t/y of CO2 equivalent, comparable to eliminating the annual emissions of more than 107,000 passenger cars.