The Rio Tinto-owned Diavik diamond mine has been awarded the Northwest Territories (NWT) Mining and Exploration (MAX) special achievement award for the design, construction and operations of its dykes and its contribution as a joint venture partner to the Tibbitt-to-Contwoyto winter ice road.
The NWT MAX awards are a partnership between the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines and the NWT government’s Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. The awards recognise major contributions to the Northwest Territories’ minerals industry, the largest private sector contributor to its economy.
Diavik’s three award winning rock-fill dykes are an integral part of its life of mine plan enabling safe access to underwater deposits whilst keeping the pristine waters of Lac de Gras at bay. The most recent rock-fill dyke was constructed to encircle the ore body of Diavik’s fourth diamond pipe, known as A21. It took 3 million tonnes of rock to build the 2.2 kilometre embankment which has a maximum depth of 30 metres.