Modern Mining January 2015

DIAMONDS

but the best is yet to come Beers favouring deferral). The ‘ins and outs’ of subsequent negotiations between African Diamonds, De Beers and the Botswana gov- ernment are not important here but suffice it to say that the ‘logjam’ was broken in 2009 with De Beers selling its 71 % stake in the pro­ ject to TSX-listed Lucara Diamond Corp, part of the Lundin Group of Companies. African Diamonds initially continued as a partner in the project but was acquired by Lucara in late 2010, giving the latter 100 % control of AK6. The decision to proceed with mine develop- ment was taken by Lucara in November 2010 and the mine – which was given the name Karowe, meaning ‘precious stone’, in 2011 – came on stream in April 2012. It was offi- cially opened by the President of Botswana, Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama, in August of the same year. It is an open-pit operation with the processing circuit com- bining autogenous milling – the first such installation in the diamond world outside of ALROSA – with a conventional DMS circuit. The capex involved in developing the mine was approximately US$120 million, less than half the estimate of the De Beers DFS, Field (OKF), which hosts over 80 kimberlite bodies. Its neighbours include the BK11 mine (owned by Firestone Diamonds but not currently operating and up for sale) plus three Debswana mines – Orapa, one of the world’s largest dia- mond mines, Letlhakane and Damtshaa. The AK6 kimberlite is a minnow compared to Orapa (the AK1 kimberlite which Orapa exploits had a surface area of 110 ha when mining started) but it nevertheless represents

The Karowe site (in Sep- tember 2014) showing new conveyors in the foreground, the final recovery building in the distance and (to the right) the XRT plant under construction (photo: Arthur Tassell).

Inside the mine’s final recovery building.

The mine is located near the town of Letlhakane in the heart of the Orapa Kimberlite

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January 2015  MODERN MINING  49