Sustainable underwater mining solution for diamond deposits

The two companies started their cooperation in 2018, to jointly develop an innovative and integrated mining solution that would economically extract kimberlite from marginal pipes and from mined out pits. It needed to have much less environmental impact than currently used mining methods. 

The underwater remote mining (URM) system consists of three components, that are developed in stages.

First, a launch and recovery platform. The floating platform is anchored over the mining site and launches and recovers the crawler. It also powers, controls, and communicates with the crawler through cables. The platform is ready and already in Canada.

The underwater mining crawler is a remote-controlled vehicle, equipped with the latest underwater control and positioning equipment, that mines the kimberlite ore continuously with a horizontal drum cutter and a vertical auxiliary cutter. It has sensors and cameras that send feedback to the operators on the surface. 

The mined material is pumped from the crawler to the surface of the flooded pit through a vertical flexible pipe, using water jets to create a slurry flow. The slurry is then pumped further to the land-based dewatering plant. The mining crawler is currently being built and assembled at Royal IHC’s premises in the UK and scheduled for finals tests end of Q3 2024. 

Finally, a land-based dewatering plant, located next to the flooded pit, will upgrade the kimberlite by separating water from the solids and reuse it in the pit. The dewatered materials will then be transported to the main processing plant at Ekati, to recover diamonds and other minerals. This way the footprint is reduced even further.

The URM system offers several benefits for kimberlite mining.

Less environmental impact: By mining the flooded pits, the URM system does not lower the groundwater level or change the natural water cycle of the area. It also reduces the waste material removal and the footprint of the mine, which lowers the land disturbance and restoration costs. Moreover, the URM system uses water as the transport medium, which reduces dust and noise pollution.

More operational efficiency: The URM system allows for continuous and accurate mining of the ore, thus improving the productivity and quality of the mining operation. It also uses less energy and needs less maintenance than conventional mining methods. In addition, the URM system is flexible and modular, which lowers the capital cost and installation time.

Longer life of mine: The URM system can reach deeper and more complex ore deposits that are not accessible with conventional mining methods, extending the life of mine and increasing resource recovery. This also creates more value and jobs for the local communities and stakeholders.

The various components of the URM system will be tested step by step in the summer period of 2025 and 2026 in the formal Lynx-pit at the Ekati Diamond Mine, followed by a production trial with the goal to extract approximately 150,000 tonnes of kimberlite from the Lynx pit. The entire URM system is expected to be working by 2027.

This URM solution is a technological breakthrough for kimberlite diamond mining. A new innovative solution which originated from deep sea mining and trenching systems, which has allowed Burgundy Diamond and IHC Mining to take the next step in the future of diamond-bearing kimberlite mining.