Stornoway schedules diamond Production

Renard 3 to work from the 2019,

Production is scheduled!

Since earlier this year, Stornoway has been conducting a program of drilling and sampling at the Renard with the goal of converting certain Mineral Resources to Mineral Reserves, and of accelerating the mining of both the Renard 3 and Renard 4 ore bodies in the Renard mine plan. Results to date are, 1: Renard 3 successfully delineated to a depth of 315 meters, supporting its inclusion in the Renard production schedule above the 290 meter mining level in 2019, several years earlier than currently planned. 

2: Renard 4 successfully sampled from surface, with approximately 3,000 carats recovered to date, including three special stones, supporting its potential development as a new open pit source of ore to supplement underground mine feed to the Renard process plant. 

Matt Manson, President and CEO, commented: “The update provided today covers activities that have been ongoing at Renard during the course of this year to expand and accelerate ore supply options within the Renard Mine Plan. The Renard 3 work is about accelerating the mining of high grade ore in our production schedule, and maintaining over the long term a blend of ore from two sources in the underground mine as we go deeper.

The Renard 4 work is about expanding our understanding of the diamond population at the top of the ore body prior to developing a potential new open pit. This would require a water retention structure within Lagopède Lake, but would allow us to take advantage of the expanded plant processing capacity offered by our new ore-sorting circuit. 

The results of both of these resource development programs have been encouraging. We expect to see the benefits of the Renard 3 work already in the 2019 production schedule, and we anticipate proceeding to the next stages of economic study, community consultation and permitting following the completion of the Renard 4 work, which remains ongoing at this time.”

Renard 3 was mined between 2016 and April 2018 in the Renard 2-Renard 3 open pit to a depth of 120 meters. The current Renard mine plan contemplates the mining of Renard 3 by underground methods between 2026 and 2027 following the completion of mining at Renard 2.

During the course of 2018, Renard 3 has been successfully delineated in 5,345 meters of detailed drilling between 255 and 290 meters of depth, has confirmed the expected location and width of Renard 3, and the continuation at depth of the high grade Renard 3dg and 3h units that support the body’s high grade estimate in the Mineral Resource statement. Renard 3 continues to be open at further depth.

The new data are being incorporated into a revised geological model and Mineral Resource estimate for Renard 3, with a view to the incorporation of new Renard 3 Mineral Reserves above the 290 meter level into the 2019 mining schedule.