Rio Tinto’s Kennecott Utah copper mine switches to renewable energy

Mining major Rio Tinto will be permanently shutting the coal power plant at its Kennecott Utah copper project, switching the operation to renewable energy and reducing its annual carbon footprint at the mine by nearly 65%. The company announced on Thursday that Kennecott’s electricity needs would be paired with 1.5-million MWh of renewable energy certificates supplied by Rocky Mountain Power, primarily sourced from its Utah allocated portfolio including wind power from Wyoming.