3 May 2016
28 Apr 2016
Over the past winter, heat created by diesel power generators at the Gahcho Kué Project was used to warm the Process Plant, demonstrating De Beers’ commitment to greenhouse gas reduction.
Each of the three generators providing electricity to the site is equipped with a heat recovery system. The units collect heat from the generators’ cooling and exhaust systems to warm ethylene glycol that is used to warm the Process Plant. Without these, diesel powered portable heaters would have been required. Two more generators will be installed as the site moves into operations and the resulting heat will be used to warm the Truck Shop and camp accommodations.
The Gahcho Kué Project is a diamond mine under construction in the Northwest Territories, approximately 280 km northeast of Yellowknife. It is a joint venture between De Beers Canada (51% - the Operator) and Mountain Province Diamonds (49%).
“The Gahcho Kué Project is a remote site and we can only truck in fuel once a year during a short ice road each winter,” explained Allan Rodel, Head of the Gahcho Kué Project. “By recovering heat from the generators, we are reducing the demand for diesel on site and protecting the environment at the same time.”
This system is predicted to save about 630,000L of diesel and reduce CO2 emissions by 1,720 tonnes in 2016.
De Beers is also reducing the operation’s impact on climate change by utilizing low-emission engines in several pieces of the mining fleet. These engines have lower Nitrogen Oxide emissions than traditional diesel engines and also include a filter that reduces the amount of diesel particulates that go into the atmosphere.
Fewer emissions mean cleaner air, and a lower carbon footprint.
In addition, a filter crusher in the heavy equipment shop is used to reduce the number of waste oil drums needed to be backhauled on the winter road.