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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
One blade per truck, which will soon make up the first large-scale wind farm at an operating mine, have begun making their way up the ice road to the Diavik Diamond Mine.

A wind turbine by Aurich-based manufacturer Enercon GmbH. Blades of Diavik Diamond Mines Inc.'s wind farm have begun arriving at the mine, located about 300-kilometres northeast of Yellowknife. - photo courtesy of Enercon GmbH

With 35-metre-long blades, the shipment of the four wind towers, which will soon be installed at the mine about 300-kilometres northeast of Yellowknife, has so far been an interesting undertaking for the Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter road joint venture, director Ron Near told Yellowknifer.

"The wind power project pieces are large and long and so they're a challenge to move," Near said. "They're very, very sensitive and, if damaged, you just can't replace them."

There was considerable planning prior to the movement of the parts, Near said, which began last week with the successful shipment of the first set of three blades. The shipment took about 20 hours to travel from Yellowknife.

The second set of blades was shipped shortly after midnight on Saturday. Ingraham Trail closed to accommodate the shipment, because surveys found the turning radius of the components put the extremely long blades out into the middle of the road on certain turns.

Shipment of the four 2.3-megawatt capacity wind towers, which will eventually stand about 100-metres tall, is scheduled to be complete by the end of this winter road season.

Diavik collected weather data to determine the feasibility of the wind project for three years ending in 2010. The wind speed study found with a total on-line capacity up to six megawatts, the wind farm can reduce the mine's diesel consumption by 10 per cent, or about four-million litres.

Cost savings from the wind farm from direct diesel purchase and trucking offsets are estimated to be $5- to-$6 million, depending on fuel prices, and Diavik estimates it will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by about 12,000 tonnes per year.

The capital cost for the turbines, made by Aurich, German-based manufacturer Enercon GmbH, is about $25-$30 million, including the purchase, transport, and installation.

The equipment is guaranteed to work up to minus -40 C.

Unlike most wind-generating projects, which feed onto grids, the Diavik wind farm will feed directly into its diesel generating power process, said Liezl van Wyk, principal energy adviser for Diavik.

"It is the largest remote wind-diesel hybrid installation, anywhere globally," she said. "There's a long shopping list of innovations on this project."

Wind power extraction at the diesel-reliant mine is expected to start by the end of the year.

While Diavik has made a business case for the wind farm from a cost perspective, it is not expected to prolong the life of the mine. The estimated life of Diavik, which is currently transitioning into a fully-underground mine, is expected to extend until 2022-24.

The Diavik Diamond Mine is a joint venture between Rio Tinto subsidiary Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. and Harry Winston Diamond Ltd. Partnership.

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