Rio Tinto’s Diavik Diamond Mine has completed installing a 3.5 MW capacity solar power plant in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
The 6,620-panel facility is expected to generate 4.2 million kWh of solar energy annually, reducing Diavik's diesel consumption by one million liters per year and minimizing GHG emissions by 2,900 tons of CO2, equivalent to removing 630 cars from the road each year.
The solar power plant will provide up to 25% of Diavik’s electricity during closure work, with commercial production at the mine expected to end in 2026 and closure to run until 2029.
The facility is equipped with bi-facial panels, which generate energy not only from direct sunlight but also from light reflecting off the snow covering Diavik for most of the year. The solar project complements a wind power plant at Diavik, which has generated over 195 million kWh of electricity since its initiation.
The project was supported by $2.42 million in funding from the Government of the Northwest Territories’ Large Emitters GHG Reducing Investment Grant Program, which was assisted by funding from the Large Emitters Grant, providing a portion of carbon tax paid by large operations such as Diavik for projects committed to GHG reduction in the territory.
Contracted to Whitehorse-based Solvest and the Indigenous-owned Tlichǫ Investment Corporation, construction on the solar power plant began in February 2024, with support from Diavik. Approximately 30% of the construction workforce came from the Tlichǫ Investment Corporation.
Diavik is working with the Government of the Northwest Territories and community partners to determine the role of renewable energy infrastructure in helping the region following closure. Rio Tinto aims to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero across its operations by 2050.
