Mining giants are unlocking a radical new revenue stream: harvesting hydrogen from their existing operations. Freeport-McMoRan’s Cerro Verde copper mine in Peru now produces 12 tons/day of hydrogen as a byproduct – enough to power all its heavy equipment with 40% surplus.
Industry Transformation:
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BHP:
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Retrofitting Chilean copper pits with hydrogen capture tech
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73% reduction in diesel costs at Escondida mine
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New “Hydrogen Ready” certification for ore buyers
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Rio Tinto:
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Hydrogen-powered smelters in Utah cut emissions by 290K tons/year
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Partnering with Plug Power on mobile H₂ refuelers
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Training miners as “hydrogen technicians”
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Novel Extraction Methods:
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Ore Venting: Trapping hydrogen released during crushing (Glencore patent)
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Water-Rock Reaction: Injecting abandoned shafts to accelerate serpentinization
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Microbial Mining: Genetically engineered bacteria that excrete H₂ (Barrick Gold trial)
Economic Impacts:
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Copper mines adding $12-18/ton hydrogen credit
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37% upside for “hydrogen-positive” mining stocks (UBS analysis)
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Chile’s economy to gain $7B/year from hydrogen royalties
