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The De Beers Group of Companies has welcomed the Interim Approval decision by the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board (MVLWB) for the Extended Care and Maintenance and Water Management plans for its Snap Lake Mine in the Northwest Territories.
The Interim Approval requires the inclusion of commitments De Beers made during the Stakeholder review process into its updated plans. De Beers has agreed to the revisions and anticipates submitting the updated ECM plan by Thursday 30 June, with the updated ECM Water Management Plan to follow shortly thereafter.
Snap Lake was put on care and maintenance in December 2015, following a review of the mine’s operation in light of market conditions. The MVLWB’s decision will now enable the preservation of the mine’s significant diamond resource in the ground for potential production in the future.
De Beers will now begin the planning and subsequent work required to remove underground workings of Snap Lake Mine to flood responsibly, minimizing the flow of water into the receiving environment and significantly reducing the operation’s total environmental impact. This will improve the sustainability of the mine during suspended operations so that it can be held as a long-term asset.
Kim Truter, Chief Executive Officer of De Beers Canada, said: “We are grateful to all the parties who participated in the review process, in particular the valuable inputs from our Aboriginal, business and government partners. We remain focused on preserving the significant diamond resource within the Snap Lake Mine.”
Contact
Tom Ormsby
Head of External & Corporate Affairs
Tel +1 403 930 0330
[email protected]
About The De Beers Group of Companies
De Beers is a member of the Anglo American group. Established in 1888, De Beers is the world’s leading diamond company with unrivalled expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers employs more than 20,000 people (directly and as contractors) across the diamond pipeline, and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. As part of the company’s operating philosophy, the people of De Beers are committed to Living up to Diamonds by making a lasting contribution to the communities in which they live and work, and transforming natural resources into shared national wealth. For further information about De Beers visit www.debeersgroup.com.