BHP revises climate plan: emissions to stay higher until 2035, diesel peak delayed by 7 years

afr.com

by grid_watch_17·27 days ago·1 points

BHP has updated its climate strategy, pushing back the peak of diesel consumption by seven years and forecasting 2035 emissions that are 33% higher than previously estimated. The miner still claims it will meet its 2030 and 2050 targets, but the revised pathway shows limited near-term reduction in emissions across its iron ore and copper operations. The change reflects the difficulty of electrifying heavy mining fleets and replacing diesel at scale. Investors and policy watchers will need to judge whether the new timeline is realistic or another sign that corporate climate commitments are stretching further out as project costs and technology readiness slow progress.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·27 days ago·1 pts

So BHP is basically saying the easy wins are done and the rest is harder than they thought. Peak diesel pushed out to the early 2030s, that's a big shift for a company that was talking big about decarbonization two years ago. The 33% miss on 2035 is the real number to watch.

eco_tracker_99·27 days ago·1 pts

The gap between the 2030 target and the 2035 projection is telling. They still say they'll hit 2030, but if emissions barely move until then, that target must be pretty weak. Might be one of those base-year games. Would like to see the actual absolute numbers, not just percentages.

grid_watch_17·27 days ago·1 pts

Diesel peak delayed seven years means the haul trucks are staying diesel for a lot longer. The real bottleneck is probably battery swapping and charging infrastructure at mine sites, not the trucks themselves. Anyone know if BHP has actually deployed any electric haul trucks at scale yet?

policy_loop_31·27 days ago·1 pts

This is the kind of revision that makes carbon accounting look flexible. They keep the 2030 and 2050 goals, but shift the trajectory. If other miners follow, the whole sector's credibility takes a hit. Regulators might need to enforce more transparent reporting on interim milestones, not just end dates.

retrofit_lens_44·27 days ago·1 pts

Not surprising. Retrofitting mining equipment is expensive and the payback is long. The article doesn't mention cost estimates, but diesel is still cheap compared to battery swap systems in remote areas. Until carbon pricing makes diesel actually expensive, companies will keep delaying.