Red Dog Mine
Large load · Kotzebue, AK
Red Dog is a zinc and lead mine and mill in Northwest Alaska, operated by Teck Resources on Indigenous-owned land. It is not connected to the state grid, so its power plant runs on diesel that is barged to a port near Kivalina. Teck reported 112,000 metric tons of zinc in the second quarter of 2026, with ore grades falling as the Aqqaluk and Qanaiyaq pits deplete. Teck says the mine is slated to close in 2032 unless the Red Dog Mine Life Extension goes ahead.
Overview
- Average demand
- 25 MW
- operating
Red Dog is completely off grid, so Teck runs its own diesel power plant. Teck's published figures put the plant's daily demand at 40,000 gallons, or nearly 15 million gallons a year, and the diesel must be shipped to a port near the village of Kivalina. Teck estimates the mine typically needs roughly 25 megawatts. In March 2026 Teck proposed an 8.8-megawatt solar farm with battery storage that would supply about 2 megawatts in summer, when demand surges. Teck said it wanted construction to start by June because federal tax credits expire in July. Teck and Tugliq were also working out a power purchase contract covering price and other terms.
Profile
- 2026 output and ore grades
- Red Dog produced 112,000 metric tons of zinc in the second quarter of 2026, an 18 percent drop from the same quarter of 2025, as lower-grade ore fed the mill. The average zinc grade processed fell to 12.3 percent from 14.3 percent a year earlier. Teck reported 218,200 metric tons of zinc for the first half of 2026 and expects full-year output to remain in its forecast range. Crews are finishing mining at the Qanaiyaq deposit this year, and the Aqqaluk pit has enough ore to feed the mill until around 2031, with zinc output fading as grades diminish. A maintenance shutdown of the zinc and lead recovery circuits is planned for the fourth quarter.
- Reserves and the mine life extension
- Teck says enough reserves remain at Red Dog to keep the operation running at roughly 2028 levels out to 2032. To extend the mine past current reserves, Teck is investing heavily in the Red Dog Mine Life Extension, formerly the Anarraaq and Aktigiruq Extension Program. Aktigiruq hosts 42.2 million metric tons of indicated resource averaging 15.8% zinc, according to Teck's annual report. A 12-mile road linking the deposits to the mill is substantially completed, a prefeasibility study is progressing, and a contract for an underground exploration decline has been awarded.
Facility
- Activity
- Zinc and lead ore production
- Industry
- Mining
- Site type
- Facility
- Operating status
- Operating
Permits and agreements
- Agreement
- Power purchase contract for solar output under negotiation between Teck and Tugliq
Related records
Timeline
- Nov 20, 2023
- Teck described the mine's electricity as diesel-generated and shipped to port near Kivalina.
Mining exec: Alaska’s pricy, fossil fuel-based power could thwart investment | Juneau Empire
- Feb 19, 2026
- Teck reported a significant drop in zinc production at Red Dog due to lower ore grades.
Red Dog output drops as reserves dwindle - North of 60 Mining News
- Mar 22, 2026
- Teck proposed an 8.8-megawatt solar farm and battery system at the mine.
One of Alaska’s flagship mines soon could draw energy from the sun - Anchorage Daily News
- Jul 23, 2026