Rio Tinto’s Diavik mine wins environmental award for solar plant

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 dieselThe 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 2,900 tonnes. This is equivalent to removing 630 vehicles from the road.“This recognition reflects our commitment to environmental responsibility and collaboration with our partners,” Diavik chief operating officer Matthew Breen said in a release. “This project demonstrates the potential for large-scale renewable energy in Canada’s North, and we are proud to contribute to the industry’s progress toward a lower-carbon future.”The government of the Northwest Territories provided C$3.3 million in funding for the project. It has 6,620 panels.Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com