Diavik Diamond Mine

09/01/2026

🌱 Traditional Knowledge informing closure 🌱

Earlier this summer, we were pleased to welcome representatives from Indigenous Government partners to Diavik for a week-long visit as part of our Traditional Knowledge Monitoring Program.

Participants toured the site and provided advice and feedback on closure progress and plans for upcoming site reclamation activities. This visit focused on revegetation - the input received will help our teams determine how to prepare roadways and other areas to promote natural revegetation once cleanup is complete.

Our Traditional Knowledge Monitoring Plan continues to develop, with continuous input from Indigenous Government partners. Thank you to all the participants from this summer's visit for sharing your time and knowledge!

08/06/2026

The pit filling process has begun!

After a successful decommissioning phase that involved removing equipment from the underground and open pit mines, siphons were activated at Diavik’s A21, A418, and A154 mines over the last several weeks.

Pit filling is expected to take approximately 6 to 12 months. The rate of filling will depend on water levels in Lac de Gras, with controls put in place to ensure that the process has minimal impact on the surrounding lake and downstream river. Fish screens (which can be seen in the third photo) have been installed over the siphons to ensure the safety of local wildlife.

Once filling is complete, Diavik staff, community members and regulators will monitor water quality in the pits. Once the water quality is deemed to meet acceptable criteria, the pits, which were situated beneath the lake prior to mining activity, will then be reconnected to Lac de Gras.

The filling of Diavik’s mine pits is central to its approved Final Closure and Reclamation Plan. We remain on schedule to complete active closure activities at the Diavik site by 2030.

07/29/2026

🔋💨☀️ Battery storage system – online 🔋💨☀️

Diavik has recently completed commissioning a 4.4 MW battery storage system, which will help us maximize our renewable energy usage through closure.

The system allows for the storage of energy from our wind and solar plants, giving us the ability to capture and deploy it as needed. It also means that at times during closure operations, our site will run on 100% renewable power.

The system is projected to reduce diesel consumption at site by 4.5 million litres and eliminate 12,800 tons of CO2 emissions between now and the end of 2028.

Once complete at site, the battery can be relocated post-closure along with Diavik’s solar infrastructure.

07/15/2026

🏘️Community update: Summer 2026 💎

Diavik's latest quarterly community newsletter features updates on our end of operations, closure agreements, and community donations as we progress through our first months of active closure.

Want our community updates sent directly to your email inbox? Sign up for our mailing list here: https://forms.office.com/r/n47U4YhAGF

07/06/2026

When you're running the hottest music festival north of 60, communication is key 🎙️💎

Diavik has been a long-time supporter of Folk On The Rocks - but this year, we did something a little different.

In the past, Folk on the Rocks has rented the radios used by festival staff and volunteers to coordinate their event. This year, our IT team refurbished a set of handheld radios from our closed mine site, including batteries, clips, mics, and chargers, and donated them to the Folk team, making sure they'll equipment of their own into the future.

As part of our closure process, we are actively working towards repurposing assets from site for communities across the North. Stay tuned to this page for more - and in the meantime, have a fun and safe Folk on the Rocks!

06/08/2026

Check out the full video of the BuildWitt team's visit to Diavik here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiFBHirtE6Y

05/28/2026

Community Picnic on Saturday!

Please join the Northern Mining Health and Safety Forum (NMHSF) for the annual Miners' Picnic from 12 pm to 2 pm outside the Multiplex. Everyone is welcome to attend the free event.

The Mine Rescue Competition is also taking place - some events on Saturday are open for the public to observe if you want to cheer on the teams starting at 8:30 am at the Multiplex.

NOTE: The public is encouraged to bring non-perishable food donations to support the Salvation Army. Those who make a donation to the Salvation Army will be eligible to enter a draw for a number of door prizes.

05/21/2026

Read the Local Voices summary report to learn more about Voconiq Local Voices - Rio Tinto Diavik's work, and how to participate in future surveys.

Thank you for your participation!

Local Voices survey results - Rio Tinto Diavik Thank you for participating in the survey for Rio Tinto Diavik that we conducted from November through to December 2025. Your input is incredibly valuable, and we're pleased to let you know the summary report is now available: Download community summary...

05/14/2026

Watch the BuildWitt team's drive up to Diavik (and learn about how the winter road is constructed and maintained) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd_h2qO8Ars

05/06/2026

🎓 Scholarship spotlight: Morgan Schauerte 🎓

A senior project development lead at mining environmental firm Ensero Solutions, Morgan Schauerte has enjoyed a successful decades-long career in the mining industry - one that he attributes, in part, to a Diavik scholarship earned over 20 years ago.

Living in Hay River, NWT at the time, and accepted to an engineering program at Queen’s University, Morgan needed to make an early payment or his spot would be forfeited. Out of options and without time to earn the money needed, the Diavik scholarship gave him the financial footing to pursue his passion.

“I was at the cusp of saying no to the program,” he wrote, years later. “Small contributions like the scholarship Diavik gave me can be life changing.”

After his first year of university, Morgan spent time working on the Diavik project on the final commissioning of the A154 d**e, an experience he also attributes to his career path. The next year, he switched to Civil/Environmental engineering. The rest, as they say, is history.

“Without that spark of having financial assistance at the right time, who knows what could have happened. Same person, same brain, same drive, very different place.”

The landscape photos below were taken by Morgan during his time at Diavik working on the A154 d**e.

Diavik continues to support Northern students' post secondary goals through scholarships administered by the Yellowknife Community Foundation. Applications are open until May 31: https://www.ykcf.ca/student-awards-scholarships/