Yellowknife, Canada – Rio Tinto announced this week that it will build a solar power plant to help power the final days of the Diavik diamond mine.
The plant, which will be the largest of its kind in Canada’s northern territories, will have more than 6,600 solar panels that will generate approximately 4,200 megawatt hours of carbon-free electricity per year for the mine.
The panels will be bi-facial, meaning they will generate energy from both direct sunlight and light reflected from the snow that covers the ground around Diavik for most of the year. The mine is located in Canada’s Northwest Territories, about 125 miles south of the Arctic Circle.
Construction of the plant will begin in the coming weeks and is expected to be fully operational in the first half of next year.
Once operational, the plant will reduce diesel consumption, lower emissions and provide up to 25 per cent of the mine’s electricity during the closure phase, which will last until 2029.
Commercial production at Diavik is expected to end in early 2026.”I am excited that we will be significantly increasing our renewable energy generation with the largest solar power plant in Canada’s northern territories at the Diavik Diamond Mine,” said Angela Bigg, who took over as president and chief operating officer of the mine in December 2021.
“With its hybrid wind-diesel power plant, Diavik is already a leader in renewable technology for cold climates, and this important project reinforces our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint.”
The Government of the Northwest Territories provided C$3.3 million ($2.4 million) towards the construction of the facility through its Large Emitters GHG Reducing Investment Grant programme, while C$600,000 ($443,000) came from the Government of Canada’s Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit.
Diavik is working with local government and community partners to determine how the facility can benefit the region after the diamond mine closes.
Rio Tinto is working to decarbonise its operations globally, with the aim of reducing Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2023 and achieving net zero emissions across its operations by 2050.
