PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diamond miner Burgundy Diamond Mines on Friday said that its Ekati diamond mine, in Canada’s Northwest Territories, remained unaffected by wildfires.

Canada is facing one of its worst-ever fire seasons, with an estimated 13.7-million hectares burned so far this year. More than 20 000 people have been evacuated from the Canadian city of Yellowknife.

Burgundy told shareholders that although there was a growing concern for many residents in the area, the Ekati diamond mine was about 300 km from Yellowknife, and the project was not at current or anticipated risk of wildfire.

The closest wildfire to the Ekati operation was about 135 km from the mine site, Burgundy said.

“Burgundy Diamond Mines leadership team has been and will continue to work with the government of the Northwest Territories to assist with wildfire response efforts and is supporting several team members who live in evacuated regions. We have contingency plans in place to maintain continued operations and to provide alternate work arrangements for those who are personally affected by the wildfires,” the miner said in a statement

“Burgundy Diamond Mines remains committed to supporting its people who have been affected by the wildfires and will continue to monitor and provide updates on the wildfire situation.”

The miner earlier this year moved to acquire full ownership of the Ekati diamond mine after shareholders approved the $136-million deal and the $150-million conditional placement to finance the deal.

The Ekati operation sold 4.2-million carats in 2022, delivering revenues of $494-million and adjusted Ebitda of $200-million.

The current mine life of Ekati, including the addition of a new openpit development at Point Lake, runs to 2028. Exploration and project evaluation activities are ongoing, including the development of innovative mining techniques that could be used to extract the deeper resources from the Sable, Fox and Point Lake openpits. If successful, the mining of these deeper portions of existing orebodies would extend the life of Ekati.