ekati
TRANSCRIPT
Facts and Information about the Ekati Diamond Mine
• The Ekati Diamond Mine Country is found in Canada
• The Ekati Diamond Mine Location: Lac de Gras, Yellowknife, Northwest
Territories and is 200km south of the Arctic circle and 20 kilometers distance
from of the Diavik diamond mine
• The Ekati Diamond Mine diamond source: Kimberlite volcanic pipes
• Formation of Ekati volcanic pipe: Shallow lakes formed in inactive volcanic
craters
• Mining Method: Open pit mining
• Size of the Ekati Diamond Mine: 110 acres and reaches underground to 1,900
feet
• The Ekati Diamond Mine diamond quality: Many large diamonds have been recovered,
including a 182 carat stone
• Age of Diamonds: 45 to 62 million years old
• Age of the mine: The Ekati pipe was discovered by Prospector Chuck Fipke discovered
the Kimberlite pipes in 1991 and the Ekati mine began operations on October 14 1998
• By April 1999 the EKATI diamond mine had produced one million carats of diamonds
• Diamonds from the Ekati Mine are sold under the trade name Aurias and their
authenticity is verified through the "CanadaMark" service
• Color of diamonds found at the Ekati Diamond Mine: Colorless, and very rarely, yellow.
• The Ekati Diamond Mine is operated by: BHP Billiton Diamonds, Inc
• The Canadian Ekati diamond mine leads the world on environmental standards
Critical Mission
• Build a deep tunnel to reach the diamonds deep below the existing pit.
• Get a new pit “Fix Pit” an open pit mine rock must be removed to access the diamonds.
Challenges
Battling Killer Cold
Moving Mountains of Earth
Environmental Protection
Delivery of supplies to mines for continuous operation
Remain Cost effective
Requirements
Human Resources
Skilled Labour
System Operators
Geological Experts
Mine Dwellers
Extreme Machines
The Driller
The Demag
CAT
X-Ray Machines & Grease tables
Regular Supplies
Explosives
Machine Components and Repair Tools
Food and water supplies
Manpower supply
Timelines
• Discovered by Chuck Fipke and Stewart Blusson who
had been prospecting in the region for almost ten years.
• Having found kimberlite indicator minerals as early as
1985.
• EKATI officially began operations on October 14, 1998.
• Between 1998 and 2009, the mine has produced 45
million carats.
Equipment Used
• Blasthole drill• Cone crusher• Conveyor• Dozer• Grinding roller• Gyratory crusher• Hydraulic excavator• Hydraulic shovel• Loader• Rock truck• Roll crusher
Mining equipment includes
• four Driltech D90KS blast hole drills
• two Demag H655SO diesel-hydraulic shovels
• ten Caterpillar D10R bulldozers
• a Cat 994 loader
• a Cat 5120 hydraulic excavator
• four Cat 992 loaders
• 13 240t Cat haul trucks
• three 170t Cat 793 haul trucks
• 11 100t Cat 777D haul trucks carry waste and ore from the pits
Recovery Plant Instruments
• Fuller and Nordberg crushers
• KHD Humboldt Wedag grinding rolls
• Linatex screens and dense medium separators
• Eriez magnetic separators
• Bateman pneumatic conveying system
• Fynsort Technologies x-ray sorter
• Prime construction contractor
– Simons Mining Group
• Process plant design
– Signet Engineering
Featured Suppliers
• FLSmidth - Flotation, Agglomeration and Filtering
• FLSmidth - Engineered Mineral Processing Equipment
• Gekko - Gravity Separation and Mineral Processing Equipment
• Gemcom Software - Exploration, Mine Planning, Mine Scheduling,
Strategic Mine Planning, Pit Optimization and Mine Production
Software
• Mine Site Technologies - Mining Communication Solutions
• Voith Turbo - Start-Up Components
Man Power
• BHP Billiton employs approximately 800 regular employees and
an average of 700 contractors at the EKATI mine
• The company is committed to providing employment and
business opportunities to Northerners; hiring preference is
given to local residents and Aboriginals.
• In early 2008, BHP Billiton was awarded the John T. Ryan
National Safety Trophy as EKATI achieved the best safety
performance in the Select Mine Category for 2007.
Stakeholders
• BHP Billiton (80%),
Charles E. Fipke (10%),
Stewart Blusson (10%)
• Environment
– Environmental awareness is an integral part of staff training
• Water use
• waste management
• land use
• rehabilitation
Finances
• Operating performance at our EKATI Diamond Mine in Canada was strong, while the acquisition of Anglo Potash Limited enhances our diversification.
US$ millionRevenue 969
Underlying EBIT 189
Capital expenditure 123
Net operating assets 1,694
RISKS
• Equipment operating in the vicinity of loaded holes or explosives
remnants.
• Misfires and the destruction of old explosives
• Blasting in hot or reactive ground
• Open pits and facilities in the Koala Watershed and King-Cujo
Watershed
• Chloride increase in lakes due to the addition of saline groundwater
• Elevated concentrations in kimberlitic ore from Misery Pit
Quality
• Annual Production:
– Diamond, 4k carats in FY09
– Silver 4.2m oz in 2009
• For the past two years, Ekati has produced approximately 7
million carats of high-quality diamond deposits, equating to
3% of worldwide revenue from rough diamond sales.