British-Australian multinational iron ore company Rio Tinto will build over 6,600 solar panels for its Diavik diamond mine in the North Slave region in the Northwest Territories of Canada to generate approximately 4,200 megawatt-hours of carbon-free electricity annually.
The construction of the solar plant will start in the coming weeks, so it can be fully operational in the first half of 2024.
The facility will be the largest solar power plant across Canada's territories and will be equipped with bi-facial panels that will generate energy both from direct sunlight and light that reflects off the snow that covers Diavik for most of the year.
It will provide up to 25% of the mine's electricity during closure works that will run until 2029.
The project will also cut diesel consumption at the site by approximately one million liters per year while reducing emissions equivalent to 2,900 tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is comparable to eliminating the emissions of 630 cars.
The project is supported by CAN$3.3 million (USD$2.4 million) in funding from the Government of the Northwest Territories' Large Emitters Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reducing Investment Grant program.
The Government of Canada's Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit will also provide CAN$600,000 (USD$446,310) for the project.
'The Diavik solar power plant is a welcome sign of Rio Tinto's commitment to renewable energy and reducing emissions,' Government of the Northwest Territories Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek was quoted as saying in the statement.
'This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to facilitating sustainable development while reducing GHG emissions in the Northwest Territories and should be a signal of how our economic development can continue to position us as leaders in these spaces,' she added.
Rio Tinto is moving forward with decarbonization programs across all of its global operations with the goal of cutting its Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 and reaching net zero across all of its operations by 2050.
By Duygu Alhan
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr