When most people think of the Beehive State, images of its “Greatest Snow on Earth” and ski resorts may come to mind. Others might picture its picturesque landscapes and its unique cultural heritage. However, beyond its recreational activities and beauty, the state is also home to a mine that is hiding the future of mankind. And it has about 17,000,000 tonnes of our future underground.
The future of mankind lies underground
The Beehive State, otherwise known as Utah, boasts many great things. One of them is the largest man-made excavation in the world. This excavation is also among the deepest open-pits and is none other than the Kennecott copper mine, also referred to as the Bingham Canyon mine. And when we say this place is big, we honestly mean it!
Bingham Canyon spans 95,000 acres, and the project is situated near Salt Lake City in Utah. At the is location you will find that the Bingham Canyon, its Copperton concentrator, and its Garfield smelter is one of the biggest and most modern operations in the world. The sole owner of the Kennecott project is a company called Rio Tinto, and its operations take place via its Kennecott Utah Copper branch.
This mine has a hefty reserve for our future
Many hands make for light work, and when it comes to mining our future, it takes round-the-clock work and hefty equipment. As long as conditions permit it, the mine is in operation 24/7. Each morning, there are 30 people on duty to maintain equipment by field maintenance or by working in Kennecott’s 19-bay truck shop. Bingham Canyon was upgraded in 2011, expanding the maintenance facility to accommodate a larger inventory, which grows annually.
While some may think it to be overdoing it a tad bit, the mine enjoys a fairly even distribution of sulphide mineralisation, primary copper pyrites. According to ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com, Bingham Canyon has produced 20 million tonnes of copper to date. According to other publications, this is reportedly 17,000,000 long tonnes of copper. It is easy to understand why Rio Tinto, famous for other big mining projects, have the big equipment to match.
“There is great pride here in how we are helping push human progress. We are mining materials that at the end of the day are making a difference — and we are doing so safely and with respect for the environment.” – Dave Meador, operations manager at the Bingham Canyon
Sometimes it takes a village
Copper is a vital element in our daily lives, as it is used in electrical wiring, renewable energy technologies, and even medical devices. And this large-scale mining project requires large-scale employment. According ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com, the mine has employed nearly 800 men and women, of which 200 works each shift with a high number of contractors.
“If you go in the mine, a number of team members can reach in their wallets and pull out photos of their grandfathers or great-grandfathers who worked here.” – Meador
The company has also focused on environmental endeavours, including:
- A 3,000-acre Kennecott Inland Seashorebird Reserve
- Mitigates 1,000 acres of wetlands encroached upon by an expanded Kennecott tailing impoundment area
- Daybreak, a 4,100-acre master-planned community built on land impacted by the mine over the decades
- Featuring open space, trails, energy-efficient homes, and LEED-certified buildings
- An agreement with Rocky Mountain Power to decommission three coal-fired power plants
While large-scale mining projects are crucial to providing various industries with critical minerals, such as copper, it is important that the appropriate guidelines and management are implemented and followed. This not only guarantees the protection of the environment and the safety of the employees, but it also safeguards the well-being of the surrounding local communities as well.