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July 2015
MODERN MINING
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COUNTRY FOCUS –
BOTSWANA
O
pening his presentation, Teeling
said there were four pre-requi-
sites for a pure explorer such as
Botswana Diamonds. “You need
a market for the product you’re
looking for, you need good ground, you need
good technology and you need good people,”
he said, adding that Botswana Diamonds,
whose shares are traded on London’s AIM, was
able to tick all these boxes.
On the subject of market demand, he said
the fundamentals for diamonds were good
and noted that the industry was now being
driven by demand from Asia, particu-
larly China, with historic consumer
markets such as the US and Europe
declining – in relative terms – in
importance. He also argued that cur-
rent diamond supply was flat and that
there had been no significant diamond
discoveries over the past 10 years.
“Prices remain at historically strong
levels though they’re volatile as the
De Beers position weakens,” he said.
Addressing the topic of good
ground, he said there was no better
place in the world than Botswana for
diamond exploration. “Some compa-
nies drill in places where they can’t
possibly find the things they’re look-
ing for,” he observed. He pointed
out that this was clearly not the case
when it came to looking for diamonds
in Botswana as the country was the
world’s biggest producer of diamonds
Alrosa
brings new technology to
diamond exploration in Botswana
Alrosa and Botswana
Diamonds geologists in
the field (photo: Botswana
Diamonds).
John Teeling listens
to a question at the
recent Botswana
Resource Sector Con-
ference in Gaborone
(photo: Bennie Venter).
A regular – and popular speaker – at the Botswana Resource Sector
Conference, held in Gaborone every year, is John Teeling, the ebullient head
of Dublin-based explorer Botswana Diamonds. At this year’s event, he gave
a typically upbeat address in which he explained the company’s strategy,
including its 50/50 joint venture – signed in 2013 – with Russian diamond
mining giant Alrosa. He said Alrosa was applying new technology and
bringing ‘fresh eyes’ to previously explored ground in Botswana.
– at least by value – and hosted world-class
mines such as Jwaneng, Orapa and Letlhakane,
which had been joined more recently by
Karowe and Ghaghoo.
Turning to the question of technology, he
said Botswana Diamonds and Alrosa were now
deploying the latter’s proprietary technology
which was being used to explore, as he put
it, “up to 100 m beneath the Kalahari sand,
swamps and basalt.” He added that Alrosa
has discovered 19 kimberlite mines in Russia,
which together produced 36,2 million carats in
2014 – approximately 26 % of world produc-
tion. Alrosa operates mainly in Russia but it
does also have a one-third share in the Catoca
diamond mine in Angola.
Botswana Diamonds has tenements in the
Orapa area and in the Central Kalahari near
the new Ghaghoo mine of Gem Diamonds,