RAPAPORT... BlueRock Diamonds has reached record production at its Kareevlei mine in South Africa, after resuming operations last month.
Output since May 11, when the deposit reopened following a Covid-19 lockdown, totaled 41,500 tonnes of ore, averaging 2,000 tonnes a day, the company said Wednesday.
The new daily average is 65% higher than the previous record, which it achieved in the fourth quarter of 2019. The increase was due to modifications to the ore-processing equipment, the company added.
The miner is in the process of combining its KV1 and KV2 sites, which it expects to complete in the third quarter. However, while the project is ongoing, the company will retrieve a higher percentage of lower-grade ore, closer to the surface, it noted. It plans to produce higher-grade ore toward the end of June.
BlueRock currently has approximately 2,400 carats of rough in inventory.
Image: Rough diamonds from the Kareevlei mine. (BlueRock Diamonds)
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