De Beers is selling its Snap Lake diamond mine. The news was first reported by Reuters, which said De Beers had hired Bank of Montreal to find a suitable buyer.
Ore from Gahcho Kué is now being fed to a process plant, signaling the formal ramp-up of diamond production for Canada’s newest diamond mine. According to De Beers Group and Mountain Province Diamonds—joint partners in the venture—the project remains on track to reach full commercial operation in the first quarter of 2017.
De Beers is ceasing production at its Snap Lake mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories, putting it on care and maintenance and laying off 434 employees. The company says the decision comes after a review of the mine’s operation and current market conditions.
Fewer diamonds will be coming out of Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine in 2009. The company says the current global economy is spurring it to implement a debt reduction plan that will see the mine’s underground project cut back to only critical development activities.