Rio Tinto Kennecott converts fleet to ‘renewable diesel’ to help air quality

BINGHAM CANYON MINE, Utah — Aaron Clement drives one of the massive trucks at the world’s largest open pit copper mine.

“It’s like moving a house,” he jokes.

Clement, who works in Rio Tinto Kennecott’s truck shop at Bingham Canyon Mine, participated in a pilot project with a new type of fuel for the giant mining equipment. They switched from a traditional fossil fuel to a “renewable diesel” made from soybeans and food waste. The company has even installed a special pipeline for it at the mine.

“In terms of performance? It’s pretty much identical,” Clement told FOX 13 News about the difference between fuels. “I don’t notice much. Maybe a little less smoking. Other than that, nothing really changes.”

On Tuesday, Rio Tinto Kennecott announced that it has converted its entire fleet of mining vehicles to the renewable diesel, which it believes will contribute less emissions to Utah’s airspace.

“If you do the equivalent of passenger cars, that’s over 100,000 cars we’ve taken off the road,” said Nate Foster, CEO of Rio Tinto Kennecott. “About 40%.”

A massive operation like the Bingham Canyon Mine, which supplies about 12% of America’s copper (an increasingly sought-after mineral in our electrified world), could provide positive benefits for the Wasatch Front’s air quality. The company previously closed a coal-fired plant in favor of a solar farm, which it plans to expand.

“As we go into the time of year where we have air quality issues as the inversion moves in, this will certainly be helpful,” Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters at Tuesday’s announcement.

Northern Utah has consistently struggled with air quality. The topography of the Wasatch Front contributes to an inversion that traps contamination in the Ogden, Salt Lake, and Utah valleys. But state leaders insist air quality has improved in recent years as Utahns switch to cleaner-burning fossil fuels or switch to electric vehicles.

“Although we are growing as a state, not only our per capita emissions, but our overall net emissions have decreased significantly,” Governor Cox said. “We still have a long way to go and we continue to work on it, but we are proud of what we have achieved.”

Rio Tinto Kennecott’s voluntary decision to switch to a renewable energy source has received some praise from environmentalists.

“I don’t congratulate Rio Tinto Kenecott very often. It will be an improvement for local air quality,” said Dr. Brian Moench, the executive director of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.

Dr. However, Moench said he was concerned about the procurement of the ingredients for the renewable diesel and whether taking farmland and converting it to fuel production would have negative impacts on the global climate.

Rio Tinto Kennecott said it is also experimenting with electrified vehicles. Given the enormous size of the equipment used in the Bingham Canyon mine, it would require significant battery size and power for operations.

“It just really comes down to where the technology in the industry is today,” Foster said. “We do that in our underground mine with less equipment.”