Rio Tinto Kennecott to Fully Transition to Renewable Diesel

(Rio Tinto/Business Wire) Rio Tinto will replace its entire fossil diesel consumption with renewable diesel at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah from 2024. Kennecott’s fleet of 90 haul trucks and all heavy machinery will begin to transition to renewable diesel in the first quarter of 2024, along with consumption from the concentrator, smelter, and refinery.

The transition will reduce Kennecott’s Scope 1 carbon emissions by approximately 495,000 tons of CO2 equivalent per annum, comparable to eliminating the annual emissions of more than 107,000 passenger cars.

The renewable diesel is made from renewable biogenic materials sourced in the United States. It will be supplied through the existing diesel supply chain, as part of a continuing partnership between Kennecott and HF Sinclair.

Rio Tinto Copper Chief Operating Officer Clayton Walker said: “Transitioning Kennecott completely to renewable diesel builds on a suite of decarbonisation initiatives that have reduced carbon emissions from the operation by 65% since 2019.

“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.”

HF Sinclair Executive Vice President, Commercial, Steven Ledbetter said: “As a long-time supplier of Rio Tinto and a fellow operator in the Rocky Mountain region, we are pleased to support Rio Tinto’s sustainability journey with a low-carbon fuel made at our facilities. This is a great step demonstrating our continued progress to meet the evolving energy needs of our customers.”

Rio Tinto is targeting reductions in Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions of 50% by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

Rio Tinto Chief Decarbonisation Officer Jonathon McCarthy said: “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.

“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.”

The decision to convert to renewable diesel comes after a successful 7-month trial at Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon mine. This trial was conducted in collaboration with Cummins to test renewable diesel in different operational environments and on different equipment which supported the decision of Original Equipment Manufacturers to approve the use of renewable diesel in their equipment. READ MORE

Excerpt from Rio Tinto/Business Wire: Rio Tinto has completed the transition from conventional to renewable diesel for all heavy mining equipment at its Kennecott copper mine in Utah, giving the mine one of the lowest carbon footprints of any copper producer in the United States.

Kennecott’s fleet of 97 haul trucks and heavy machinery equipment at the mine, concentrator, smelter, refinery and tailings are now all fueled by renewable diesel1 sourced in the United States. This is expected to reduce the mine’s Scope 1 emissions by 450,000 tonnes, equal to eliminating the annual emissions of 107,000 cars. In addition, the switch to renewable diesel reduces PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns) emissions at the tailpipes of our haul truck fleet by 40%, a reduction equivalent to approximately 2.3 billion miles of light vehicle travel annually.

Kennecott has one of the lowest carbon footprints of any copper producer in the United States, thanks to recent initiatives such as the closure of a coal-fired power plant, installation of a 5-megawatt solar farm, deployment of battery electric vehicles underground, and the transition to renewable diesel. The operation’s overall carbon footprint has now been reduced by more than 80% from 2018 levels.

Speaking at an event on site with the Governor of Utah, Spencer J. Cox, to celebrate the achievement, Rio Tinto Copper Chief Operating Officer Clayton Walker said: “The transition to renewable diesel is a significant step toward our decarbonisation goals at Kennecott where we have now reduced emissions by 80%, thanks to a range of initiatives in recent years. We remain committed to being responsible stewards of the environment and are always looking to find better ways to provide the materials the world needs for the energy transition.”

Kennecott’s transition to renewable fuel will also make low-carbon fuel more accessible in the state of Utah. In partnership with Kennecott, HF Sinclair is dedicating two tanks to renewable diesel for the mine with each having tank capacity of 18,000 barrels or 756,000 gallons.

HF Sinclair Executive Vice President, Commercial, Steven Ledbetter said: “We’re proud to support Rio Tinto’s sustainability journey with a low-carbon fuel produced at our facilities. We’re excited to see Kennecott move from trial to full implementation and what this could mean for other industries with evolving energy needs.”

In 2023, Kennecott conducted an initial trial of renewable diesel, which compared two trucks using regular diesel against two using renewable diesel. Officials measured the trucks’ acceleration, cycle time, fuel usage, and engine inspection reports. The renewable diesel was trialled successfully, complementing similar test findings from Rio Tinto’s Boron mine in California.

Combined with Rio Tinto's Boron mine - which completed the full transition of its heavy machinery from fossil diesel to renewable diesel in May 2023 – renewable diesel use at Kennecott replaces 11% of Rio Tinto's global fossil diesel consumption with renewable diesel.

Rio Tinto is targeting reductions in Scope 1 and 2 emissions of 50% by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

1 The renewable diesel being used is currently a combination of 90% soybean and the remainder animal fat and used cooking oil. READ MORE