26 FEBRUARY 2025 WorldWide Drilling Resource® A New Solar Plant to Power Kennecott Adapted from Information by Rio Tinto Rio Tinto has approved the construction of a 25-megawatt (MW) solar plant at its Kennecott copper operations in Salt Lake, Utah, which will be combined with an existing five-MW solar plant to total 30 MWs of solar capacity and reduce emissions by six percent. This is equivalent to removing around 5000 gas-powered vehicles from the road. The development of the new solar plant is expected to be finalized this year, generating short-term job opportunities for approximately 100 laborers and a handful of long-term operations and maintenance roles. Bechtel Corporation has been assigned to oversee the design and manage construction of the plant. The solar array will cover 210 acres and feature more than 71,000 panels containing tellurium, a mineral produced by Kennecott’s refining process. In 2022, it became one of only two U.S. producers of this critical mineral used in photovoltaic solar panels, along with copper. Rio Tinto Kennecott Managing Director Nate Foster said, “Expanding our solar farm is the latest step in our journey to reduce our carbon footprint. Together with other measures we’ve taken, such as closing a coal-fired power plant, deploying battery electric vehicles underground, and our recent transition to renewable diesel, we have reduced our emissions by millions of tons over the past few years. We’re demonstrating every day that sustainable practices and resource production can go hand-in-hand to benefit our company as well as our community.” Rio Tinto is committed to reducing its emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Currently, 72% of the company’s electricity comes from renewable sources, and the focus is on transitioning away from gas- and coal- generated electricity to solar, wind, and other renewable technologies. This shift will significantly reduce emissions across their mines, processing plants, and support infrastructures, as well as enable the use of lower emission alternatives to fossil fuel. MIN
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