JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Aim-listed Paragon Diamonds has finalised the design and order of a $6-million 75 t/h processing plant for the Lemphane kimberlite mine, in Lesotho.
The mine is owned by Paragon’s 80%-owned subsidiary Meso Diamonds.
The diamond development company would establish the new modular plant in time for the mine’s Stage 1commissioning in the first quarter of 2015, which would result in the extraction of one-million tonnes of kimberlite over a two-year period, Paragon chairperson Philip Falzon Sant Manduca said on Tuesday.
The plant's use of the latest X-ray transmission (XRT) diamond recovery technology was expected to reduce capital costs, as capacity could easily be scaled up at a minimal cost during Stage 2, as well as operating costs.
It would also improve diamond recovery, maximise the recovery of large, high-value stones and minimise breakages, leading to “significantly enhanced” project economics.
Diamond processing plant designer and fabricator Consulmet was tasked with the plant’s assembly and its operation for the first six months, processing the 250 000 t of ore, and providing on-site technical support for the XRT technology at this critical phase.
Paragon and its appointed security contractors would run all aspects of the final diamond recovery facility.