Source:powerengineeringint.com
Mining Group Rio Tinto has announced plans to build a solar power plant at its Diavik diamond mine in Canada, located 200km south of the Arctic Circle.
Touted as the largest solar power plant in the Canadian territories, the plant will consist of more than 6,600 solar panels and will generate about 4,200MWh of electricity for the mine per year.
The plant, scheduled to be operational in 2025, will provide up to 25% of Diavik’s electricity during the closure works which will last until 2029.
According to Rio Tinto, the facility will be equipped with bifacial panels. This will allow power generation using direct sunlight as well as the light that reflects from the snow, which covers Diavik most of the year.
The project will reduce diesel consumption at the site by approximately one million litres per year and reduce emissions by 2,900 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This is aligned with Rio Tinto’s decarbonisation plans to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.
This is not the first renewable project at the Diavik diamond mine. A hybrid wind-diesel power facility was built to power Diavik’s underground mine. Since coming online in 2012 the wind farm has offset Diavik’s diesel use by over 43 million litres and reduced the overall greenhouse gas emissions by 105,000 tonnes.
Diavik is working with the Government of the Northwest Territories and community partners to determine how the solar project could benefit the region after its closure.
Decarbonising mining in Canada
Canada’s mining industry is one of the largest globally and plays an important role in the country’s economy, contributing $125 billion to the GDP in 2021.
Over the past 12 months, the government has increased regulatory support to promote supply chain decarbonisation. One example of this is a new tax credit, which will aid mines in shifting to zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.
The 30% refundable tax credit will apply to hydrogen and electric heavy-duty equipment used in the mining industry, as well as corresponding charging and refuelling infrastructure.
Credits will also be available for the generation of renewable energy generation and storage.
Also, the mining industry has adopted the Mining Association of Canada’s Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) programme, which sets global standards for managing environmental and social risks. The TSM includes the Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Management Protocol, which supports mining firms in reducing emissions and emissions reporting.
The Canadian government has also considered a roadmap for the deployment of nuclear Small Modular Reactors (SMR) to aid the decarbonisation of mining.
In 2018, the federal government released its SMR Roadmap, and governments in the provinces of Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and New Brunswick have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in the advancement of SMRs.
