Mining giant BHP will switch out coal for renewable energy as the power source for its copper operations, displacing 3 million tons of CO2 emissions each year. Four contracts have been signed, using energy from existing and future renewable energy projects which will be in place from 2021, to supply electricity for all BHP’s Chilean copper mining operations, enabling a 20% reduction in energy prices for the company. Separate contracts for the Escondia and Spence copper operations in Chile were awarded to ENEL, with 15-year contracts for 3 TWh per year, alongside 10-year contracts of the same size to Chilean utility Colbun Renewables. With these mines sitting in the Atacama Desert, and among the largest mines in the world, it…