PMI Webinar: Gahcho Kué Project

The Gahcho Kué Project near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, is the largest new diamond mine constructed in the world in the last 15 years. Gahcho Kué is located on an isolated stretch of tundra with no permanent roads. Materials for the CA$1.1 billion project had to be delivered to the site by cargo plane or transported over an ice road only open two months each year. Blizzards closed the road three times in 2015 and delays surrounding the site’s permanent airstrip almost pushed the project off track.

Lean project management processes helped the team close the project and ramp up production two months early, which allowed the mine to exceed by 60% its 2016 carat budget. Plus, the new facility will contribute almost 580 fulltime jobs each year during the mine’s 12-year life span. The project was chosen as a 2017 finalist for the PMI Project of the Year Award for its high professional standards in managing this complex and extraordinarily challenging project and its excellent results for business, government, and people. The project workforce achieved robust safety goals, while members of the six impacted First Nations groups benefitted through sustainable employment, supply chain opportunities, and formal partnerships with the mine owner, De Beers Canada. The high-stakes project was managed with world-class systems by Hatch Ltd., so production was able to begin two months ahead of schedule while maintaining good control of cost, scope, risk, and safety.

Learn about this award-winning project’s challenges, best practices, and lessons learned in the webinar “How a Canadian Project Recognized for Excellence Freezes Challenges for Icy Results” on March 28 at 12:00 pm EDT. Hosted by the Project Management Institute, the webinar will be presented by Hatch professional Kato Lone.

To register for the webinar, click here. There is no cost to attend, but seats are limited to the first 1500 registrants.