Hello Vaughn,
Further on the Rombout's article (good reading) here my "cup is half-full" take:
In the Mine Production section, he says, in order, (my quick thoughts in brackets):
Canada - Ekati (new, excellent production and quality)
Botswanna - Jwaneng (world's richest, better facilities)
Orapa (expanding)
Russia - Udachny (declining), International (new production)
South Africa - Marsfontein (high grade, GDV issues)
Klipspringer (100 SUF%, too low on production)
De Beers other RSA operations (re-structuring)
other RSA producers (mixed bag)
Angola - Catoca (good production in difficult environment)
Congo - artisanal
Australia - Argyle (higher prices)
I feel very good to be grouped in with the Ekati/Jwaneng/Orapa
groups. While these have longer lives, some folks seem to rank the
Marsfontein/Klipspringer stuff reasonably well.
New Mines:
NWT - Diavik (only Canadian mention, great grade)
Russia - (many references, esp. Archangel)
Botswana - Gope (controversial)
Australia - Merlin (small cluster)
Indonesia - (dredging -- I can wait 100 years for this stuff!!)
Angola - Luzamba (trial mining, good results, 4 deaths)
Its nice to have the fissure system already counted among producing mines!
Exploration:
NWT - (decade of intense exploring, 200 kimberlites found,
several diamondiferous finds being moved towards production)
- Snap Lake (WSP/ABZ)
- Jericho (TAH)
- Kennedy Lake (MPV)
- Lac de Gras (DMM/BHP)
Alberta - (disappointing)
Greenland (DMM)
Brazil - (SUF/CNB & Diagem)
Russia - (controversial)
Southern/Western Africa - (much detail)
I note, with shock, the ommission of both the Munn Lake sill and the
Yamba pipes. Do we take this to mean the esteemed Mr. Rombouts
feels that SUF is better off in Brazil? Or rather that much
exploration (as he says) has gone on with the successes as he has
noted (SUF, disappointingly, not among them)?
This was a good, informative update on the world of diamonds, but I
don't think its purpose was to approve/disapprove of any company's
plans, athough it was clear that several areas were difficult to work
in, several had been extensively explored and many other exciting
areas were completely unmentioned.
Best of Luck,
Confluence |
