Dominion Reports Diavik and Ekati Q4 Production
January 15, 14
(IDEX Online News) – The Diavik diamond mine performed ahead of target in the 2013 calendar year, Dominion Diamond Corp. reports.
The miner also revealed mine plans for both the Diavik and Ekati operations this year.
The plan for the Diavik mine in calendar 2014 is currently under review by Rio Tinto, which holds a 60-percent stake in the mine. It predicts production of approximately 6.1 million carats from the mining and processing of approximately 1.9 million tons of ore. The company says that mining activities will take place exclusively underground.
The fourth calendar quarter of 2013 saw a continuing strong performance from the mine. During the quarter, Diavik produced 2.1 million carats from 0.54 million tons of ore processed compared to 1.9 million carats from 0.47 million tons of ore processed in the comparable quarter of 2012.
 The Ekati Diamond Mine |
The 16-percent increase in processing volumes was a result of improvements in the mining rates as the underground ramp up progressed throughout the year to full production from all three pipes.
For the 2013 calendar year, Diavik performed ahead of target, producing 7.2 million carats from 2.1 million tons of ore processed compared to production of 7.2 million carats from 2.1 million tons of ore processed in the calendar 2012.
Meanwhile, in fiscal 2015, Ekati expects to process approximately 2.7 million tons from the mineral reserve and produce approximately 1.0 million carats. Dominion says it expects to process approximately 1.7 million tons from the Fox pipe (including stockpiles) and approximately 1.0 million tons split between Koala phase 5 and phase 6 &7.
During the fourth calendar quarter of 2013, the mine produced 0.4 million carats from the processing of 0.9 million tons of ore from the reserves. Activities through the calendar quarter continued to focus on ore production from the Fox open pit, and Koala and Koala North underground. The Company also recovered 0.1 million carats from the processing of 0.1 million tons of coarse ore rejects and diamond-bearing kimberlite excavated from satellite bodies in the Misery open pit.
During the period from April 10, 2013 to December 31, 2013, Dominion mined a total of 4.2 million tons from the Ekati Diamond Mine from reserves, with approximately 3.5 million tons from the Fox pipe, approximately 0.2 million tons sourced from Koala Phase 5, approximately 0.2 million tons from Koala Phase 6 & 7, and slightly under 0.3 million tons from Koala North.
During this period, production was 1.1 million carats from the processing of 2.8 million tons of ore from the reserves. The mine also produced 0.33 million carats from the processing of 0.30 million tons of coarse ore rejects and diamond bearing kimberlite excavated from Misery South & Southwest.
Dominion also said it is working on a pre-feasibility study for the Jay Cardinal project, which it aims to complete in calendar 2014. The diamond and sonic core drilling program, which will be carried out at the Jay and Cardinal pipes and along alignments for the dikes planned for the proposed development, is expected to begin in early-mid February.