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Closure work at the NWT’s former Snap Lake diamond mine will be performed by Met/Nuna, De Beers said in a Thursday news release.
Met/Nuna is a joint venture between Nuna Logistics and Métcor, the economic development arm of the North Slave Métis Alliance. The contract is worth $110 million over three years, De Beers said.
The mining giant said five bids, all from NWT Indigenous communities, were considered.
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Work at Snap Lake involves closing the mine, which operated between 2008 and 2015, demolishing some structures, and rehabilitating the land.
From the first quarter of 2022, Met/Nuna will have day-to-day responsibility for site management and carrying out the existing Snap Lake closure and reclamation plan. The work will employ up to 120 people at a time.
The joint venture has in the past won contracts at both Snap Lake and Gahcho Kué, which remains an operational NWT De Beers mine.
Met/Nuna will try to maximize NWT employment and use of NWT companies, De Beers said, though no specific targets were given.
“This represents a significant step toward developing the North Slave Métis Alliance’s business capabilities and presents another step to a prosperous future for the North Slave Métis people,” said Marc Whitford, vice president of the North Slave Métis Alliance, in a statement.
