Modern Mining December 2016

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December 2016MODERN MINING15
MINING News
ASX-listed Lucapa Diamond Company
and its partners, Empresa Nacional de
Diamantes EP (Endiama) and Rosas &
Petalas, report that the new XRT large dia-
mond recovery circuit at the Lulo diamond
project in Angola is now in commercial
operation processing oversize alluvial
gravels.
The XRT technology and larger screens
will, as part of the new coarse recovery
stream at the 150 t/h diamond plant,
provide capacity to recover individual dia-
monds up to 1 100 carats. The new XRT
technology is also more effective for the
recovery of higher quality, low-luminesc-
ing Type IIa diamonds.
As previously announced, Lulo mining
company Sociedade Mineira Do Lulo (SML)
began stockpiling all oversize material in
February 2016 following the recovery of
the record 404-carat ‘4th February Stone’,
which sold for US$16 million. This oversize
stockpile totals approximately 20 000 bulk
cubic metres.
Lucapa Chief Executive Stephen
Wetherall says the commissioning of the
new XRT circuit represents another excit-
ing new phase in the development of the
Lulo diamond project.
“We have seen what the implemen-
tation of this XRT technology delivered
for Lucara – allowing their Karowe mine
in Botswana to recover the second larg-
est diamond ever,” said Wetherall. “We are
Kibo signs collaboration agreement with GE
Kibo Mining, listed on London’s AIM
and Johannesburg’s AltX, has signed a
Collaboration Agreement with General
Electric International Inc (GE) with
respect to the development of the Mbeya
Coal to Power Project (MCPP) in Tanzania.
The agreement follows the Memo­
randum of Understanding (MOU)
announced on 16 September 2016 and
sets out in detail the terms and condi-
tions of the proposed collaboration into
a binding agreement. It provides for GE
and its affiliate companies (GE Group)
to supply equipment, technology and
services to the MCPP power plant, in
addition to assisting and co-operating
with Kibo to implement the project.
“We are extremely pleased that we
have now finalised this agreement with
GE and cemented our relationship in a
binding document,” said Louis Coetzee,
CEO of Kibo Mining. “Since signing
the MOU, the company and GE have
collaborated closely on progressing
development work on the MCPP, from
which the project has benefitted greatly.
As one of the largest and technologi-
cally advanced international companies,
we are looking forward to growing this
relationship. By working closely with GE,
we will benefit from their experience
and reputation and this will expedite the
remaining work required to reach suc-
cessful financial close on the MCPP.” 
Large diamond recovery circuit
at Lulo in Angola now operational
excited to have this XRT recovery technol-
ogy now fully commissioned as part of our
coarse material processing stream at Lulo,
where we have already recovered five
+100-carat diamonds this year.
“As well as treating the oversize or
coarse gravels from daily mining opera-
tions, we will selectively process the
20 000 bcm of stockpiled oversize material
over time.”
Updating on the exploration pro-
gramme at Lulo, Lucapa says that a second
drill rig and crew have arrived on site. This
contract rig, which has PQ core capabil-
ity, will augment the company-owned
Sedidrill rig in advancing the Lulo kimber-
lite exploration and drilling programme,
which aims to identify the primary source
or sources of the exceptional alluvial dia-
monds being mined at Lulo.
A third rig – the new track-mounted
Hanjin D&B35 rig purchased by Lucapa
– has been shipped to Angola and is
expected to arrive in port in Luanda in
mid-December for customs clearance.
In addition, a helicopter-borne Time-
Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) survey is
scheduled to commence shortly over the
Cacuilo River and valley area. This TDEM
survey aims to assist the kimberlite explo-
ration programme in identifying other
possible non-magnetic kimberlite targets
as well as improving target definition on
the known targets. 