JV partners Lucapa Diamond Company (ASX:LOM) and Endiama and Rosas & Petalas have announced that construction is now complete on a crushing circuit at the Lulo Diamond Project in Angola.
The project’s standalone sampling plant is scheduled for completion and commissioning during Q2 this year, which will allow for faster processing of kimberlite bulk samples.
The program is designed to identify the primary source pipe or pipes of the ‘exceptional’ large and high-value diamonds that have been recovered at the project’s alluvial mining operations, and to assist wth preliminary economic assessment on their ongoing recovery.
“the advanced Lulo kimberlite exploration program will now deliver kimberlite bulk sampling results on a very regular basis”
Speaking on the update, Lucapa Managing Director Stephen Wetherall said, “With the injection of additional funding into the exploration program post the pandemic impact on progress, the advanced Lulo kimberlite exploration program will now deliver kimberlite bulk sampling results on a very regular basis. The partners look forward to furthering our work on the priority kimberlites and to identifying potentially economic sources.”
To date, six diamondiferous kimberlite pipes have been identified at the project, including some with high proportions of rare Type IIa diamonds that attract a higher average price per carat.
In March 2022 the company had announced an 11% increase in diamond resource carats at Lulo, following the release of an updated JORC Inferred Alluvial Diamond Resource.
The resource delivered a total of 151,040 carats at an average modelled value of USD $1,930/carat.
Images: Lucapa Diamond Company Limited
