Rio Tinto is actively working on a number of technology solutions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve energy efficiencies. Some of these initiatives include:
- Founding Member of the FutureGen Alliance – A public-private partnership to design, build, and operate the world's first coal-fueled, near-zero emissions power plant. The commercial-scale plant will prove the technical and economic feasibility of producing low-cost electricity and hydrogen from coal while nearly eliminating emissions. It will also support testing and commercialization of technologies focused on generating clean power, capturing and permanently storing carbon dioxide (CO2), and producing hydrogen. It is expected that the chosen site will be announced this year and be up and running in 2012. http://www.futuregenalliance.org/ http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/powersystems/futuregen/
- CO2 Cooperative Research Center for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) – One of the world's leading collaborative research organizations focused on CO2 capture and geological storage (geosequestration). http://www.co2crc.com.au
- COAL 21- A major initiative of the Australian Coal Association that involves a coalition of coal producers, electricity generators and the federal and state governments in developing a strategy to reduce emissions from coal-fired power generation. The strategy promotes and facilitates the demonstration, commercialization and early uptake of advanced coal technologies in Australia. Rio Tinto sits on the board and provides broad technical support to the group. http://www.coal21.com.au/
- COAL 21 Fund - The Australian black coal mining industry, of which Rio Tinto is a member, has committed to provide up to $AUD 1 billion over the next 10 years to work with the electricity generation industry to demonstrate promising technologies for reducing GHG emissions from coal-fired power stations
- Hydrogen Energy – A joint venture between Rio Tinto and BP to develop decarbonized energy projects around the world. The venture is initially focused on hydrogen-fueled power generation, using fossil fuels and carbon capture and storage technology to produce new large-scale supplies of clean electricity. http://www.hydrogenenergy.com/
- HIsmelt® Corporation – An iron-making subsidiary testing a patented technology, projected to achieve a 15-20 per cent improvement in energy efficient and GHG reductions. The company also is investigating the use of Circofer® technology, which involves pre-heating and pre-reducing the iron ore and coal feeds in the HIsmelt® plant can improve the overall energy efficiency and GHG intensity of the process.
- Minding the Carbon Store (MTCS) Project – In Queensland, Australia, Rio Tinto Aluminium (RTA) partnered with The Carbon Pool Pty Ltd. In the “Minding the Carbon Store (MTCS)” project to abate approximately 1 million tons of CO2 emissions through avoided deforestation. The project, verified and approved under the Australian government’s Greenhouse Gas Friendly initiative, provided payments to landowners to forego permits to clear native vegetation, avoiding the release of GHG emissions over a period of 120 years from land clearing of 12,000 hectares of native vegetation. The project has contributed valuable knowledge and capacity around validating carbon credits from biosequestration as a legitimate and viable GHG emissions offset opportunity. http://www.riotinto.com/documents/RTASDreport2006.pdf
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