Modern Mining March 2022

DIAMONDS

way towards simplifying the process and reducing costs when a mine reaches the end of its life. New diamond initiatives targeting FutureSmart The development of De Beers Group’s wholly- owned Chidliak deposit in Canada is underpinned by the Diamond FutureSmart strategy, says Lincoln. The project is currently at prefeasibility study stage with the Diamond FutureSmart team under- taking desktop studies related to mining, energy, transportation and remote technology to ensure that the project meets and surpasses its sustainabil- ity goals. De Beers Canada acquired the Chidliak project in September 2018 and is targeting production from Chidliak by as early as 2030. “Chidliak will have a significantly smaller footprint when compared to traditional operations. Our vision is that it will be fully powered by renewable energy, equipped with remote connectivity, a remote operating centre, operate in real time off-grid and have fewer people work- ing on the mine,” explains Lincoln.

energy initiatives to help it to meet its climate change targets. Although current operations are heavily reliant on fossil fuels to power operations, plans are in place to move to renewable energy. De Beers Group is already progressing preparation for an on-site solar project at Venetia mine in Limpopo – South Africa’s biggest diamond mine. The 60 MW solar PV proj- ect, which will produce around 150,000 MWh/year, is scheduled for commissioning before 31 December 2024. De Beers Group is also looking to adopt hydro- gen to power its equipment. Its parent company, Anglo American, is currently piloting the use of a hydrogen truck at its Mogalakwena mine in the Limpopo province. “This is an innovation that De Beers will adopt at its diamond operations in the near future,” says Lincoln, who adds that such initiatives will go a long

Illustration of Chidliak Future Smart Mine.

The world’s largest diamond recovery vessel, the Benguela Gem .

Further to this, the diamond miner is busy developing the Venetia Underground Project (VUP) which is now roughly 60% complete and set to deliver first production sometime between Q4 2022 and Q1 2023. The VUP will extend the life of Venetia mine up to 2047. Over the course of its life, it will treat about 134-million tonnes of material containing an estimated 88-mil- lion carats, translating into about 5,9 mt per annum.

20  MODERN MINING  March 2022