A mineral development company doing work in the Northwest Territories was recently recognized for its use of clean energy.
Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. took home the award for best use of renewable energy at an exploration site at the Energy and Mines’ Renewables and Mining Awards in Toronto on Nov. 21.
READ: Avalon’s fact sheet for Nechalacho (pdf)
Mining companies from Chile, Mexico, Australia and South Africa were also acknowledged for their commitment to clean energy.
Avalon, a Toronto-based company, was recognized for installing and operating a renewable energy system at its Nechalacho project near Thor Lake approximately 100 kilometers southeast of Yellowknife.
The system, which was implemented in 2013, includes diesel generators, battery banks, an inverter system and solar panels.
Since its installation, the company says it’s been able to slash its use of diesel at the site.
“The initial motivation was reducing diesel consumption and associated costs,” read a statement from Avalon.
“The battery bank also enabled the use of safer, high efficiency tent heaters, leading to even greater savings in diesel consumption.”
Since acquiring the property in 2005, Avalon has invested almost $100 million (as of September 2014) to further explore and develop the rare earth elements project.
With a feasibility study complete and an environmental assessment approved, Avalon says the Nechalacho project is “well positioned to bring a new supply of rare earth materials to the marketplace.”
