A Rio Tinto executive said U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s new administration should focus on speeding up the permitting process for its stalled Resolution copper mine in Arizona, reported Reuters. The mine could supply more than one-quarter of the country’s domestic copper needs. The new Trump administration would be able to either approve or block the proposed underground operation. The news…
Read MoreTag: copper mine
Kennecott completes switch to renewable diesel
Rio Tinto has finished the transition from conventional to renewable diesel for all heavy mining equipment at its Kennecott copper mine in Utah. The miner said the move is expected to reduce Kennecott’s Scope 1 emissions by 450,000 tonnes. Additionally, the switch to renewable diesel reduces PM2.5 emissions at the tailpipes of its haul truck fleet by 40%. “The transition…
Read MoreRio Tinto to keep Resolution’s copper in U.S.
A Rio Tinto senior executive said that the miner aims to keep all of the copper from its Resolution mine inside the United States should the long-delayed and controversial project win regulatory approval, reported Reuters. “Certainly if Resolution comes on stream, all of that copper we would like it to be sold in the U.S.,” said Bold Baatar, head of…
Read MoreBagdad to be first U.S. copper mine to move to AHS
Freeport-McMoRan’s Bagdad operation in Arizona will become the first copper mine in the United States to implement a fully autonomous haulage system (AHS). The miner will convert its fleet of 33 Cat 793 haul trucks using Cat MineStar Command for hauling. “The three-year conversion project is expected to improve safety, optimize our fleet, reduce GHG emissions through reduced idle time…
Read MoreKennecott Bingham Canyon picks Cat MineStar
Caterpillar and Utah dealer wheeler Machinery have completed the installation of a Cat MineStar fleet management system at Rio Tinto’s Kennecott Bingham Canyon copper mine outside Salt Lake City. The operation opted to deploy MineStar fleet over an upgrade of its previous fleet management system, and with the new implementation the site’s equipment tracking, production recording, material management and truck…
Read MoreNevada Copper continues toward Pumpkin Hollow restart
Nevada Copper has provided an update on the progress of its operating restart activities at the Pumpkin Hollow underground copper mine in Nevada. The company said Small Mine Development commenced underground activities on June 1. Six working faces were made available to the contractor to accelerate primary and secondary lateral development. Nevada Copper said mine development in the EN Zone,…
Read MoreWVU gets government boost for rare earth work
A group of researchers at West Virginia University have been awarded US$3 million from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to increase the supply of rare earth elements and critical minerals extracted from acid mine drainage across the country. The researchers, led by Paul Ziemkiewicz, director of the Water Research Institute at WVU, will establish resource recovery sites in West…
Read MoreU.S., Rio Tinto land swap to move forward
The U.S. Forest Service said it plans to re-publish an environmental report before July that will set in motion a land swap between the U.S. government and Rio Tinto, allowing the miner to develop its Resolution Copper project in Arizona, reported Reuters. In 2014, Congress approved the land exchange of 2,422 acres above a copper deposit for 5,459 acres of…
Read MoreNewmont proposes Newcrest US$16.9 billion takeover
In a move to combine two of the top senior gold producers, U.S.-based Newmont has submitted a non-binding proposal to acquire 100% of the issued share capital of Australian peer Newcrest Mining by way of a scheme of arrangement. If successful, it would be the largest mining takeover and the third-largest corporate buyout in Australian history, according to Refinitiv data.…
Read MoreDiesel-less future?
The mining industry has long relied on diesel. Cleaner alternatives are however needed if the industry is to successfully decarbonize its mine sites. By Jonathan Rowland The phrase “net zero mining” is fast taking its place in the dictionary of 21st century mining buzzwords, just after the “digital mine” and slotting in ahead of the related term, “sustainable mining.” But…
Read More