Jwaneng Diamond Mine

 mine, diamond mine

www.debswana.com/Operations/Pages/Jwaneng-Mine.aspx

The richest diamond mine in the world, Jwaneng lies in south-central Botswana, 160km southwest of Gaborone.

Jwaneng lies in south-central Botswana on the fringes of the Kgalagadi desert, 160 km south west of Gaborone and 80 km west of the traditional capital of the Bangwaketse district, Kanye village.

Jwaneng means “a place of small stones”.

The Jwaneng pipe was discovered in 1972 by De Beers prospectors.

In 1978 an agreement was signed between the Government of Botswana and De Beers to establish the mine, which was officially opened on 14 August 1982.

The mine is owned by Debswana, a partnership between De Beers and the government of Botswana. Jwaneng Mine contributes 60-70% of Debswana’s total earnings.

Carats per year

The richest diamond mine in the world, in 2009 Jwaneng produced 9.04 million carats from 6.06 million tonnes treated (2008: 13.674 million carats from 15.766 tonnes treated). Production normally varies according to the mining plans of between approximately 12.5 to 15 million carats per year. With the global economic recession, 2009 was an exceptional year in that production was reduced in line with demand for diamonds from the DTC Sightholders.

Mine type - geology and process

Jwaneng is currently an open pit mine, but plans to move to an underground operation in 10 years. This will begin a new chapter at Jwaneng Mine, and extend the life of the operation by another 10-15 years.

The size of the pipe, near surface was 54ha. The age of the pipe is estimated at 240 million years.

The mine is located on three pipes (Centre North & South pipes) with an average grade of 150 cpht., and a smaller satellite pipe averaging 25cpht.

The recoverable ore grade is about 141 carats per hundred tons.

The Jwaneng Mine Aquarium diamond recovery plant is the first of its kind in the industry. It comprises the completely automated recovery plant (CARP) and the fully integrated sort house (FISH).

Cut 8

In November 2009 the shareholders of Debswana (the Government of the Republic of Botswana and De Beers), gave the green light to proceed with a major extension project at Jwaneng, the world’s flagship diamond mine. The project, also known as Cut 8 will secure approximately 95 million more carats and extend the life of the mine out to 2025. This investment ensures continuity of supply from the world’s richest diamond mine, and could be worth in excess of $15 billion over the life of the mine.

Reference for information:
www.debeersgroup.com/Exploration-and-mining/Mining-oper...