Lucara Begins Commissioning Activities at Karowe

(IDEX Online News) – Lucara Diamond Corp. yesterday (Wednesday) announced that commissioning activities at its fully owned Karowe mine in Botswana have begun as it moves towards the final construction stage. As part of this process, more than 5,000 tons of ore have been processed through the front-end of the plant.

The company said all sections of the process plant have been individually operated with run-of-mine ore with a number of sections having already been run at or above design capacity. Mining activities are significantly advanced with more than 280,000 tons of stockpiled ore being available to support the commissioning and ramp-up activities.

Ramp-up to full production will continue through the second quarter of the year

“This is a significant milestone for Lucara. The first diamond production from Karowe edges us closer to being part of an exclusive group of diamond producers. Our focus over the coming months will be to drive towards sustainable production,” said Lucara’s president and CEO, William Lamb.

As well as the Karowe mine, Lucara has a 75 percent share in Mothae Project in Lesotho, which is currently in the trial mining stage.