Modern Mining May 2015

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42 MODERN MININGMay 2015
EVENTS
Probably one of the highlights this
year will be an update on the
Karowe diamond mine in the
Orapa Kimberlite Field. This will
be provided by Paul Day, COO of
Lucara Diamond Corp, the Canadian company
which owns the mine via its Botswanan sub-
sidiary, Boteti Mining. Only commissioned in
2012, the mine has proved to be a spectacu-
lar success, regularly producing large stones
including – just recently – a 341,9 carat gem
quality diamond. During the first quarter of
this year alone, the mine – roughly a 400 000
to 450 000 carat a year producer – recovered
153 diamonds greater than 10,8 carats at an av-
erage stone size of 27,7 carats.
As reported in an in-depth article in Modern
Mining in January this year, a plant optimisa-
tion project has been underway at Karowe in
recent months designed to ensure a sustainable
2,5 Mt/a throughput. The work has included
the building of a ‘Large Diamond Recovery
Circuit’ treating material up to 60 to 70 mm in
size. The optimisation project is now largely
complete within its US$55 million budget
and commissioning is underway. Early results
from commissioning of the X-ray Transmission
(XRT) circuit forming part of the upgrade are
described as excellent and Lucara recently
reported that it had recovered 19 stones rang-
ing between 20 and 50 carats, three ranging
between 50 and 100 carats and four of over
100 carats since the integration of the XRT
machines into the process plant.
Also due to present on diamond min-
ing is Haile Mphusu, MD of Gem Diamonds
Botswana, who will be focusing on Gem’s inno-
vative new Ghaghoo mine – Botswana’s first
underground diamond mining operation – in
the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The mine,
which was officially opened in September last
year by Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian
Khama, Botswana’s President, is currently in
Phase 1 which is designed to produce between
While Botswana’s mining scene is currently subdued, the
organisers of the upcoming Botswana Resource Sector
Conference are nevertheless expecting a good turnout at
the event, which normally draws between 350 and 400 del-
egates. It is to be held on 9 and 10 June at the usual venue,
the Gaborone International Conference Centre.
Centre: The pit at Lucara’s
Karowe diamond mine in
the Orapa area. This photo
was taken when ‘Modern
Mining’ visited the site in
September last year (photo:
Arthur Tassell).
Below: The processing plant
at the new Ghaghoo mine
of Gem Diamonds. Officially
opened last year, Ghaghoo
is not only Botswana’s first
underground mine but also
the first mine in the Central
Kalahari Game Reserve
(photo: Gem Diamonds).
Preview – twelfth Botswana