JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Aim-listed BlueRock Diamonds expects to treat in excess of 275 000 t of material this year, compared with the 153 147 t treated in 2017.
The company, which operates the Kareevlei mine, in South Africa’s Kimberley region, on Thursday also noted that it expects to achieve an average grade of 3.5 carats per hundred tons (cpht) to 4.5 cpht for this year, indicating production of between 9 500 and 12 500 ct, compared with the 3 728 ct produced in 2017.
Meanwhile, the company noted that its production volumes for the year to date, have been in line with management expectations.
“Rainfall in January and February has led to disruption to production over a number of days. However, this has not been to the same extent as the exceptional level of rain experienced in 2017,” BlueRock stated.