Name and Location
Gahcho Kué diamond project, Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada.

Client
Gahcho Kué Joint Venture (JV) – a collaboration between De Beers Canada (51%) and Mountain Province Diamonds (49%).

Project Description
Gahcho Kué, which is Chipewyan for ‘a place where big rabbits are found’, is located at Kennady Lake, 280 km north-east of Yellowknife and 80 km east of De Beers’ existing Snap Lake mine, in NWT. The diamond prospect is one of the largest new diamond projects under development globally.

The project consists of the Hearne North and South pipes; the 5034 West pipe, the Central and North-East pipes; the 5034 South pipe; the 5034 North pipe; Wallace; and the Dunn Sheet, Tuzo and Tesla diamondiferous kimberlite pipes, sheets and dykes.

A revised and updated feasibility study on the remote Gahcho Kué has confirmed its robust metrics.

The deposit has current National Instrument 43-101-compliant total probable reserves of 55.5-million carats, contained in 35.4-million tonnes grading 1.57 ct/t.

The mine life has been estimated at 12 years, during which the operation will produce about 53.4-million carats at an average yearly rate of 4.45-million carats. Standard drill and blast, and truck and shovel equipment and pit designs, will be used.

The average yearly output for the first three years of full production from 2017 to 2019 will be about 5.6-million carats.

Ore will be fed to a three-million-tonne-a-year processing plant, with three stages of crushing, dense-media separation and X-ray/grease diamond-recovery circuits.

Supporting infrastructure includes a 14.1 MW packaged diesel power plant, a 1 350 m gravel airstrip, a five-bay truck shop, an emulsion plant, a 40-million-litre fuel storage facility and a 432-bed accommodation/office complex.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
None stated.

Value
According to the revised and updated feasibility study, the project will cost C$859-million to construct and the operation will require working capital of C$80-million.

Costs to ramp up the operation to January 2017 have been estimated at C$82-million.

Duration
Production started in 2016.

Latest Developments
The Gahcho Kué process plant has been commissioned, and ore from the mine is now being fed to the process plant to signal the formal ramp-up of diamond production. The mine is expected to ramp up to full commercial production in early 2017.

First ore was exposed at Gahcho Kué in March 2016. The commissioning phase introduced ore into the processing facility from the Gahcho Kué pit in June, with first commissioning carats being recovered at the end of that month. The mining operation, to date, has prestripped more than 20-million tonnes of waste material during the capital phase, thereby ensuring sufficient exposed ore for production ramp-up.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
JDS Energy & Mining (feasibility study).

On Budget and on Time?
First production was started on time.

Contact Details for Project Information
De Beers Canada external and corporate affairs tel + 1 416 645 1710.
Mountain Province Diamonds, tel +1 416 361 3562, fax +1 416 603 8565 or email info@mountainprovince.com.