De Beers Officially Opens Combined Treatment Plant in Kimberley

The official opening of the Combined Treatment Plant (CTP) at De Beers Kimberley Mines took place yesterday (Monday), extending the mine’s life. The company says the opening is seen as “signifying the dawning of a new era in Kimberley”.

By allowing the extraction of diamonds from the tailings dumps, previously considered uneconomical to mine, the CTP has extended the life of Kimberley Mines, which De Beers has been mining in Kimberley for over a hundred years.

The CTP was commissioned in December 2001 and De Beers says there has been a steady ramp-up in production to process the desired 20,000 tons per day.

The largest stone recovered at the CTP thus far is 93.21 carats, with the largest gem quality stone at 45.14 carats.

In line with Kimberley Mines' vision of profitable growth beyond 2010, a number of growth opportunities were investigated. With the construction of the CTP, the old treatment plant, opened in 1958, was destined to be closed due to process efficiency and financial constraints.

A 61 million rand ($9.64 million) upgrade of the old treatment plant was identified as a 'quick win' opportunity.  This investment will see the obsolete systems in the old plant replaced with the more efficient technologies.  Construction to upgrade the plant began in June 2004 and is due to be completed in December 2004.

Speaking at the opening, the De Beers group chairman Nicky Oppenheimer said, “The Combined Treatment Plant in Kimberley is the company's first large scale undertaking to retreat tailings. It sets a standard for the economic potential of resources previously regarded as uneconomical to mine.

“The opening of the plant is indicative of De Beers' commitment to Kimberley and a real cause for celebration in terms of the renewed economic and social benefits it will bring to the city and the Northern Cape.”