Botswana Diamonds receives environmental authorisation for Thorny River
South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has approved the environmental authorisation for one of two mining permit applications submitted by Aim-listed Botswana Diamonds on the Thorny River project, in Limpopo.
The diamond exploration company notes that, following further community consultation, a mining permit should be granted within the next six weeks.
Two mining permits were applied for in late 2022 on the Thorny River project following a comprehensive exploration programme, which included ground geophysics, drilling and bulk sampling and a positive mine planning exercise carried out by an independent consultant.
Thorny River is 6 km from Marsfontein where a recent proof of concept operation was concluded.
Thorny River consists of a kimberlite blow on a kimberlite dyke system and, assuming mid-range diamond values of $170/ct, mid-range mining costs, a discount rate of 10% and a recovered grade of 40 ct per hundred tonnes, suggests that 1.7-million tonnes of kimberlite could be mined over the life-of-mine.
“We are delighted to see that this authorisation has come through and we anticipate that the mining permit will soon be granted. The Thorny River project is well placed to restart and expand mining operations when prices recover,” says chairperson John Teeling.
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