Rio Tinto’s Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories. Credit: Rio Tinto.
Rio Tinto said its Diavik diamond mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories won an environmental award for its 3.5-megawatt solar power plant – about a year before the mine’s planned closure.
Diavik received the national Towards Sustainable Mining Environmental Excellence Award, Rio Tinto said Tuesday. The award is given out annually by the Mining Association of Canada.
Activated last July, the facility is the largest off-grid solar installation in Canada’s northern territories. It’s designed to meet up to 25% of the site’s power needs during closure, which is scheduled to begin in 2026.
Slashes diesel
The plant is expected to generate approximately 4.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which Rio Tinto says will cut diesel use by about 1.1 million litres a year and reduce carbon emissions by…
