Copper Smelter and Refinery Assessments Find Big Potential for Energy and Cost Savings

July 22, 2004

Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation: Facility Utilizes Energy Assessments to Identify $930,000 in Potential Annual Savings (PDF 307 KB) Download Acrobat Reader

Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation used targeted energy assessments in the smelter and refinery at its Bingham Canyon Mine, near Salt Lake City, Utah. The assessment focused on the energy-intensive processes of copper smelting and refining. By implementing the projects identified, Kennecott could realize annual cost savings of $930,000 and annual energy savings of 452,000 MMBtu. The projects would also reduce maintenance, repair costs, waste, and environmental emissions. One project would use methane gas from an adjacent municipal dump to replace natural gas currently used to heat the refinery electrolyte.