Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs
Purpose & Values
The drive for innovation and continuous improvement is at the heart of our purpose
Business Strategy
Climate change is at the heart of our business strategy
We are 150
150 years of finding better ways
We supply the metals and minerals used to help the world grow and decarbonise
Iron Ore
Iron ore is the primary raw material used to make steel
7 things the world will need for a low-carbon future
Wind, sun and water – what else do you need to make renewable energy work?
Sustainability – the expectation, not the exception
Shaping our aluminium product offering to meet demand for greener metals
Bringing to market materials critical to urbanisation and the transition to a low-carbon economy
Look inside a mine of the future
Our most intelligent mine yet is pioneering new mining technologies
Rincon Project
A long-life, low-cost and low-carbon lithium source
Simandou Project
The world’s largest untapped high-grade iron ore deposit
Providing materials the world needs in a responsible way
Sustainability Reporting 2022
We have a responsibility to extract the full value from the minerals and materials we produce in the safest and most sustainable way possible
Climate Change
We’re targeting net zero emissions by 2050
Tailings
We’ve launched a new interactive map of our tailings facilities
We aim to deliver superior returns to our shareholders while safeguarding the environment and meeting our obligations to wider society
Country-by-country report 2022
Our Country-by Country report 2022 complements our Taxes Paid Report, covering financial information on a country-by-country basis for all countries where we had a taxable presence
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A new way to decarbonise steel
Tackling a global challenge
Rehabilitating red mud
Renewing bauxite residue while reducing our environmental impact
Rio Tinto Kennecott to fully transition to renewable diesel
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Refined copper production
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Started
2022 figures
Our Kennecott mine is a world-class, integrated copper mining operation located just outside Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. Kennecott has been mining and processing minerals from the rich ore body of the Bingham Canyon Mine since 1903, and today is one of the top producing mines in the world. Our operation includes a concentrator, smelter and refinery and tailings storage facility.
Kennecott has one of the lowest carbon footprint of any copper producer in the United States — and initiatives such as the 2019 power plant closure and a shift to renewable energy sources have removed more than 1 million tons of CO2 emissions, lowering Kennecott’s annual carbon footprint by as much as 65%. We’ve paired 1.5 million MWh of electricity with Green-e Energy certified carbon-free renewable energy certificates, primarily from wind and solar resources. And we’re trialling underground battery electric vehicles at Kennecott to improve employee health and safety, increase productivity, and reduce carbon emissions from future underground mining fleets. We’re using a battery electric haul truck and loader to evaluate performance and suitability as part of underground development work.
In October 2022, Kennecott launched a renewable diesel trial, which will compare acceleration, speed, cycle times, fuel usage, and engine inspection reports for two trucks running on renewable diesel versus two trucks running on conventional diesel.
Trialling both battery-electric vehicles and renewable diesel will ensure we can pick the solutions that are best tailored to our operational needs, based on actual data.
These are important milestones in achieving Rio Tinto’s goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.
Our Kennecott mine has operated for 120 years, providing domestically-sourced copper to the United States and beyond. As we look towards the energy transition, Kennecott will continue to play an important role by responsibly mining and smelting this critical mineral for our electric vehicles, our renewable energy, and numerous other vital applications.
The Rio Tinto Kennecott Visitor Experience is open from April to October for you to visit the Bingham Canyon Mine - and is closed during the winter.
During off-season, we invite you to take a virtual tour of our operation and continue learning about the Bingham Canyon Mine.
At Kennecott, we continue to look for new ways to improve energy efficiency and increase our on-site-generated power supply. The $10 million, 6.2 MW combined heat and power (CHP) system – large enough to power 6,000 average-sized homes – is one example of how we are doing this, generating enough power to supply up to 50% of the electrical needs of the refinery.
CHP, also known as cogeneration, is an efficient, clean, and reliable way to generate power from a single fuel source.
Our voluntary commitments and accreditations include a number of global, regional and national organisations and initiatives, and industry accreditation programs.
Kennecott currently has several environment, social and governance (ESG) partnerships and additional partnerships planned for 2023. Key partnerships include:
In 2020, the Kennecott operation became the first in the world to be awarded the Copper Mark, the industry’s first and only independent assurance programme – verifying the copper is responsibly produced. Originally developed by the International Copper Association with input from stakeholders including customers, NGOs and producers, the Copper Mark assures that our copper meets the highest environmental and social standards, including a transparent and responsible supply chain.
Our Kennecott operation has also been awarded the Molybdenum Mark, an independent certification that the molybdenum from our site is responsibly produced with high environmental, social and governance standards. As a by-product from copper mines, molybdenum has a critical role to play in the green transition as a vital material in clean energy technologies and sustainable construction practices in many areas. This certification demonstrates our continued commitment and leadership to sustainability – to be a responsible producer that is committed to finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.
We are also progressing innovative ways to reduce waste from our operations and while supplying critical minerals that are crucial to the energy transition. So in May 2022, Kennecott began production of tellurium, a critical mineral used in solar panels that is helping develop a new US supply stream for the renewable energy industry.
Diesel made from renewable raw materials is helping us reduce emissions
Our Kennecott copper mine is extracting a rare, valuable metal from waste
Making the most of what we take from the ground
We’ve now completed the first phase of the south wall pushback at Kennecott, extending the mine’s life to 2026. We are gradually accessing higher copper grades.
Stripping for the $1.5 billion second phase, extending operations to 2032, remains on track. The investment will further extend strip waste rock mining and support additional infrastructure development, to allow mining to continue into a new area of the ore body and deliver close to one million tonnes of refined copper between 2026 and 2032.
We are also progressing feasibility studies to extend open pit mining at Kennecott beyond 2032. The planned mine expansion, referred to as Apex, will produce an additional 1.5 million tons of copper and extend the life of mine to about 2040.
In September 2022, we approved a $55 million investment in development capital to start underground mining and expand production at Kennecott. Underground mining will initially focus on an area known as the Lower Commercial Skarn (LCS), which will deliver a total of around 30 kilotonnes of additional high quality mined copper through to 2027 alongside open cut operations. The first ore is expected to be produced in early 2023, with full production in the second half of the year. It will be processed through the existing facilities at Kennecott, one of only two operating copper smelters in the United States.
Kennecott is committed to environmental stewardship. Employees work diligently to prevent, reduce and remediate effects of the operation on the environment. Kennecott sets self-imposed environmental performance targets to drive continuous improvement. We strive to be a leader in environmental performance by demonstrating responsible management of natural resources, reducing our environmental footprint and exceeding community expectations for sustainable development.
Kennecott has transformed acreage once dominated by over-grazed lands, salt evaporation ponds and illegal dumps into a 3,670-acre shorebird and waterfowl reserve along the south shore of Great Salt Lake.
In 1996, we helped to create the Kennecott Inland Sea Shorebird Reserve (ISSR) under a mitigation plan and today, the reserve is one of the largest and most successful mitigations in the United States. The number of bird species using the reserve area has gone from 50 in 1995 to 200 – a 300% increase – and today, approximately 120,000 birds use the reserve every year.
From the days of antiquity, copper has been used for its many benefits: tough but malleable, corrosion-resistant and recyclable, and an excellent conductor of heat and transmitter of electricity.
SALT LAKE CITY--(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
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – As part of its 120th-anniversary celebration, Rio Tinto Kennecott announced a donation of $10 million for the Museum of Utah, which is currently being built on the grounds of the Utah State Capitol complex. The Museum is slated to open in 2026 under the umbrella of the Utah Historical Society. The donation, which will be distributed over the next 10 years, represents Ke
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Rio Tinto has completed construction on a new 5-megawatt solar power plant at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah. The 12,800 solar panel power plant will be commissioned in coming weeks, enabling Kennecott to reduce its operational emissions by 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.The plant will serve as a pilot project with the goal of exp
Our commitment to making a positive impact in the communities in which we operate – and where so many of our employees live – is an important part of how we do business. For example, we have been working with the Natural History Museum of Utah for more than 40 years on award-winning science education programs, community enrichment initiatives and exhibits about the natural world. In 2008, we donated copper, which today, adorns the outside of the Museum’s home at the Rio Tinto Center.
Independent industry stewardship programs help assure our customers of our responsible value chain. Our Kennecott and Oyu Tolgoi copper operations have been awarded the Copper Mark, the copper industry’s independently assessed responsible production program. Kennecott has also been awarded the Molybdenum Mark, an application of the same rigorous framework to molybdenum producers - molybdenum is a copper mining byproduct and a vital material in clean energy technologies and sustainable construction practices. These two certifications demonstrate our continued commitment to responsible production as we find better ways to provide the materials the world needs.
4700 Daybreak Parkway South Jordan Utah 84009 United States
T: + 801 204 2000
For enquiries or complaints, please contact us.
T: + 801 204 2070 E: rtkcomments@riotinto.com
Open 7 days a week From April to October (weather permitting) 12732 Bacchus Hwy Herriman Utah 84096 United States
E: Kennecott Visitor Experience
W: Buy tickets
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With the exception of the use of cookies (explained below), Rio Tinto generally does not seek to collect personal data through this website. However if you choose to provide personal data to Rio Tinto through this website (for example, by sending us an email), we will process that personal data to answer your query and if relevant, to manage our business relationship with you or your company. We won't process that personal data for other purposes except where required to meet our legal obligations or otherwise as authorised by law and notified to you.
Part 1 of this Privacy Policy contains the Rio Tinto Data Privacy Standard, which provides an overview of Rio Tinto’s approach to personal data processing. There is additional information in the appendices to the Data Privacy Standard, including information about disclosures, trans-border data transfers, the exercise of data subject rights and how to make complaints or obtain further information relating to Rio Tinto’s processing of your personal data.
If you choose to subscribe to our media releases or other communications, you can unsubscribe at any time (by following the instructions in the email or by contacting us at digital.comms@riotinto.com).
With your consent, our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site.
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As some data privacy laws regulate IP addresses and other information collected through the use of cookies as personal data, Rio Tinto’s processing of such personal data needs to comply with its Data Privacy Standard (see Part 1 of this Privacy Policy), and also applicable data privacy laws.
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