The Environmental Impact Statement for the Jericho diamond deposit in Nunavut has won conditional approval from the Nuavut Impact Review Board (NIRB), pushing project-owner Tahera (TAH-T) a step closer to the development phase.
Jericho is centred on a land-based multi-phase pipe containing some 7.1 million tonnes of resources grading 0.84 carat per tonne. Of that, 2.6 million tonnes grading 1.2 carats are classified as proven and probable reserves.
According to a 2003 feasibility study, the reserve can support an open-pit and underground mine producing about 3.1 million carats over 8 years. Capital costs for the open-pit portion are pegged at $52.7 million, and $12.7 million is necessary for underground, sustaining and contingency costs.
Operating costs over the life of mine are projected at $56 per carat.
The review board will release its terms and recommendations in the coming weeks. And despite the uncertainty, by day’s end, investors had pushed the company up a nickel to 59cents, with 15.4 million shares changing hands.
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