Cempaka benefits from less stripping

Less stripping will mean higher production at less cost on BM Diamondcorp‘s (BDI-V) Cempaka property, 45 km from the coastal city of Banjarmasin in southeastern Kalimantan, Indonesia.

The 39-sq.-km property was set to begin production in the first quarter, but the company has discovered diamondiferous gravels in an area requiring a lot less stripping than is called for in the mine plan. As a result, production has been pushed back.

Infill drilling at 25-metre hole spacings and 50-metre line spacings has outlined a resource that can likely be mined over a year, with a stripping ratio of 4.5-to-1. Previously, the stripping ratio was estimated to be 7-to-1.

A new pit plan is being prepared, and production is expected to begin as soon as the rainy season ends.

Drilling has recovered several gem-quality diamonds up to 0.15 carat in size. Cempaka is expected to produce 4,000 carats of gems per month, with an anticipated value of US$175 per carat.