Rio Tinto to Build Large Solar Plant to Power Diamond Mine in Canada's Northwest Territories
11 August 2023 - 1:16AM
Dow Jones News
By Adriano Marchese
Rio Tinto will build Canada's largest solar power plant in the
Northwest Territories to provide energy to its diamond mine
there.
The Anglo-Australian metals and mining giant said the power
plant will be made up of 6,600 solar panels generating about 4,200
megawatt-hours of carbon-free electricity annually for the Diavik
Diamond Mine.
In particular, the plant will provide up to a quarter of
Diavik's electricity during closure work that will run until 2029,
with commercial production from the operation expected to end in
early 2026.
Rio Tinto said the plant will cut diesel consumption at the site
by about one million liters a year and reduce emissions by 2,900
metric of CO2 equivalent.
The project will be partly paid for by funding from the
Government of the Northwest Territories Large Emitters GHG Reducing
Investment Grant program as well as federal tax credits.
Currently, Diavik's renewable energy generation includes a
wind-diesel hybrid power facility that has a capacity of 55.4
megawatts and provides the site's electricity.
Construction will begin in the coming weeks, Rio Tinto said, and
the solar power plant will be fully operational in the first half
of next year.
Write to Adriano Marchese at adriano.marchese@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 10, 2023 11:00 ET (15:00 GMT)
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