https://www.miningweekly.com
Design|Diamonds|Mining|Underground|Water|Operations
Design|Diamonds|Mining|Underground|Water|Operations
design|diamonds|mining|underground|water|operations

Stornoway studies new openpit at Renard

7th November 2018

By: Mariaan Webb

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

     

Font size: - +

Quebec miner Stornoway Diamonds is investigating a potential new openpit at the Renard diamond mine, which earlier this year transitioned to underground operations.

The new openpit being studied is located at the Renard 4 and nearby Renard 9 kimberlites and will supply ore feed earlier in the mine life. Such a pit, the company said on Wednesday, would allow the extraction of about two-million carats of diamonds in the top 140 m of Renard 4.

An openpit would require a water retention structure within Lagopède Lake, but president and CEO Matt Manson said it would allow Stornoway to take advantage of the expanded plant processing capacity offered by the new ore-sorting circuit.

A sample from Renard 4 has been processed through the Renard main process plant and yielded about 3 000 ct, including three “special” stones, supporting its potential development as a new source of ore to supplement underground mine feed.

At the Renard 3 orebody, which was mined until April this year as an openpit to a depth of 120 m, Stornoway is considering bringing forward underground production to 2019. The current mine plan contemplates mining Renard 3 by underground methods between 2026 and 2027, following the completion of mining at Renard 2. The company is now considering incorporating new mineral reserves above the 290 m level into the 2019 mining schedule, thereby accelerating the mining of high-grade ore and maintaining the blend of ore from two underground sources as the mine went deeper.

“The results of both of these resource development programs have been encouraging. We expect to see the benefits of the Renard 3 work already in the 2019 production schedule, and we anticipate proceeding to the next stages of economic study, community consultation and permitting following the completion of the Renard 4 work, which remains ongoing at this time,” Mason said in a statement.

The Renard underground ramp-up was completed in September, with a design capacity of 6 000 t/d.

 

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

Projects

Showroom

Booyco Electronics
Booyco Electronics

Booyco Electronics, South African pioneer of Proximity Detection Systems, offers safety solutions for underground and surface mining, quarrying,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East
Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East

Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
27th March 2024
Resources Watch
Resources Watch
27th March 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.072 0.105s - 92pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now