The final money-making act of the NWT’s Diavik diamond mine has begun, owner Rio Tinto said on Thursday: mining beneath its A21 open pit.
Mining underground at A21 is now in commercial production, the company said, a step that will keep Diavik running until its forecast closure date of early 2026.
“The project will enable Diavik to maximize the value from its known resources through to closure,” Rio Tinto said in a news release.
Nearly two kilometres of underground tunnels have been built for the work. Development and construction took nearly two years, Rio Tinto said.
More: With closure imminent, Diavik sets out what’s left to do
More: Amid ‘cost pressures’ Diavik offers staff ‘voluntary separation’
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Mining at Diavik began in 2003. Alongside its similarly long-lived neighbour Ekati, the mine has been at the heart of the NWT’s economy since it opened.
All told, mining beneath A21 is expected to deliver more than two million carats of rough diamonds. Diavik has produced more than 100 million carats since mining began.
