Rio Tinto’s Diavik Diamond Mine has completed the installation of its 3.5-megawatt capacity solar power plant in Northwest Territories. This installation is the largest off-grid solar power plant in the Canadian north.
The 6,620-panel facility is expected to generate 4.2 million kilowatt-hours of solar energy annually, reducing Diavik’s diesel consumption by one million litres annually and cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2,900 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This equates to taking 630 cars off the road annually.
The solar power plant will supply up to 25 per cent of Diavik’s electricity needs during its closure work. The mine is slated to cease commercial production in 2026, with the closure process continuing until 2029. This facility is equipped with bifacial panels capable of generating energy from both direct sunlight and the light reflected off the snow, which covers Diavik most of the year.
The solar initiative complements the wind power plant at Diavik, which has been in operation since 2012. This wind power facility is the largest in Northern Canada, having produced over 195 million kilowatt-hours of electricity since its inception.
The initiative received a $3.3 million investment from the Government of the Northwest Territories through the Large Emitters GHG Reducing Investment Grant Program.
This project marks the first in the Northwest Territories to receive funding from the Large Emitters Grant. This initiative allocates a portion of the carbon tax collected from major enterprises like Diavik to support projects dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Construction began in February 2024, contracted to Whitehorse-based Solvest Inc. and the Indigenous-owned Tłı̨chǫ Investment Corporation, with support from Diavik. Approximately 30 per cent of the construction workforce came from the Tłı̨chǫ Investment Corporation.
Diavik is working with the Government of the Northwest Territories and local partners to determine how its renewable energy infrastructure can best serve the region after the mine’s closure.
