Some 6,600 Solar Panels to Supply Power to Diavik Diamond Mine
Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto will begin building in the coming weeks the largest solar power plant across Canada’s three northern territories.
The plant will comprise more than 6,600 solar panels that will supply about 4,200 megawatt-hours of carbon-free electricity per year to Rio Tinto’s Diavik Diamond Mine at the bottom of Lac de Gras in Canada's Northwest Territories.
The plant is expected to be fully operational in the first half of 2024.
“Through its wind-diesel hybrid power facility, Diavik is already a leader in cold climate renewable technology, and this important project reinforces our dedication to reducing our carbon footprint,” said Angela Bigg, president and chief operating officer at the Diavik mine.
The plant is expected to supply about 25 percent of Diavik’s electricity until 2029, when Rio Tinto plans to shutter the mine. Its bi-facial panels are being designed to generate energy from direct sunlight and from light reflected off the year-round snowy ground.
It will cut diesel consumption at the site by some one million liters per year and emissions by 2,900 tons of CO2 equivalent – comparable to eliminating the emissions of 630 cars. Rio Tinto said the mine was working with authorities in the Northwest Territories and community partners to work out how its renewable energy infrastructure can best benefit the region following Diavik’s closure.
The Diavik mine, opened in 2003, is Canada’s largest diamond producer, yielding some 3.5 million to 4.5 million carats of rough diamonds every year. Commercial output is expected to end in the quarter of 2026.
Canada's three territories – Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon – comprise about 40 percent of the country’s land mass and 3 percent of the population.
The remainder of the country is made up of ten provinces.
Rio Tinto is a member of the Breakbulk Global Shipper Network, an extensive networking platform for executives operating at the top end of the project supply chain in sectors such as oil and gas, energy and renewables, mining and minerals, construction, forestry, industrial manufacturing and aerospace.
The next in-person meet-up for BGSN members will be at Breakbulk Americas 2023, taking place on 26-28 September at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.
PHOTO: Diavik Diamond Mine. CREDIT: Rio Tinto
