Rio Tinto Group announced on Thursday that it will build a solar panel plant in the Canadian Northwest Territories. The plant is expected to generate around 4,200 megawatt-hours per year and will initially provide up to 25% of energy for the company's Diavik diamond mine until the site stops operations in early 2026.
Construction will start in the coming weeks and the plant will be fully operational in the first half of 2024, Rio Tinto said. The Canadian government will also invest in the project, and Diavik is working with the Northwest Territories government to determine how its renewable energy infrastructure will be used after the mine closes.
