Rio Tinto has energized a 25-megawatt solar plant at its Kennecott copper operations in Utah, bringing total on-site solar capacity to 30 MW after the addition of a 5 MW array completed in 2023. The combined capacity is sufficient to power approximately 1,026 average American homes annually and is projected to reduce Kennecott’s Scope 2 emissions by roughly 20,000 tonnes of CO₂e—about a 6% cut, equivalent to removing 4,400 cars from the road each year.

The new solar array comprises over 71,000 photovoltaic panels manufactured using tellurium produced as a byproduct of Kennecott’s copper refining operations, which began in 2022. Tellurium is one of only two critical minerals classified as such in the United States, and Kennecott is one of only two domestic producers. The site’s tellurium is processed by 5N Plus Inc. in Canada and supplied primarily to First Solar for panel manufacturing, keeping the entire supply chain within North America.

Construction of the 25 MW plant commenced in October 2024 in partnership with Bechtel and was completed and commissioned by October 2025, with the array energized in December. Bechtel reports that the project was delivered two months ahead of schedule and supported approximately 200 local construction jobs. These partnerships underscore Rio Tinto’s strategy of leveraging third-party expertise to accelerate renewable energy deployment at its operations.

By integrating copper and tellurium production with on-site renewable power generation, Rio Tinto is showcasing a model for supply chain resilience and circularity in critical-minerals sourcing. According to Nate Foster, Managing Director of Rio Tinto Kennecott, this approach strengthens North America’s critical-minerals supply chain, supports national energy security objectives and reinforces the company’s commitment to a low-carbon future.