Mr. Brendan Bell reports
DOMINION DIAMOND CORPORATION PROVIDES UPDATE ON JAY PROJECT FEASIBILITY STUDY
Dominion Diamond Corp. has provided an update on the progress of a
feasibility study (FS) on the Jay kimberlite pipe deposit located
within the Buffer zone joint venture property in Canada's Northwest
Territories, in which the company holds a majority interest. The company
has determined that it can maintain continuous production at Ekati
without starting major construction at Jay this year, and as a result
will adjust the Jay project schedule to reflect this change.
The initial design basis for the Jay FS had assumed the commencement of
major construction this year. Changes to the Ekati mine plan have,
however, made feasible the delivery of a continuous ore supply to the
Ekati processing plant that allows further optimization of the Jay
project. These changes include the availability of Sable ore, deepening
of the Koala underground and the continued successful trial of a lower
throughput in the processing plant as a tool to increase recovery.
Furthermore, delaying the use of the Misery pit as a water management
facility would allow more time for mining below the currently planned
open pit.
The company is completing the Jay FS based on a revised development
schedule. The new schedule assumes that the construction of an
all-season access road to the shoreline of Lac du Sauvage would occur in
calendar year 2017, followed by construction of the water retention dike
and associated infrastructure in 2018 to 2020, with dike
instrumentation, dewatering and the start of prestripping in 2021, and
mining and processing of Jay kimberlite by late 2022.
Jay is the most significant undeveloped deposit at the Ekati diamond
mine due to its large size and high grade. Jay is located beneath Lac du
Sauvage, a moderate-sized lake north of Lac de Gras, and is
approximately 1.2 kilometres from the shoreline. The Jay pipe is approximately seven km to the northeast of the Misery pit and related infrastructure, and
30 km to the southeast of the main Ekati mine infrastructure.
Brendan Bell, chief executive officer, stated: "We are very pleased with
the progress of the Jay feasibility study. The changes we have made to
the Ekati mine plan will allow us to maintain continuous feed to the
Ekati processing plant, even with an extended timeline for commencing
construction. We are also excited about the possibility of additional
mining below the currently planned Misery open pit. The extra time will
allow us to further advance Jay project permitting and to make
aggressive efforts to reduce costs at the Ekati mine. We are completing
the feasibility study and an updated mine plan based on this revised
schedule and look forward to releasing the results shortly."
We seek Safe Harbor.
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