Production ore tip feeding via the ore crusher onto the production conveyor belt. It is designed for LHD trucks to tip from three different directions and is installed with two Atlas Copco RB600 rock-breakers to size the material. The two rock breakers are operated by one operator from a centralised control cabin. This design is new to the industry

Despite its +100 years of production, the expansion has secured Cullinan’s lifespan well beyond its former 2016 closure date at double its production capacity, writes Laura Cornish.

Petra Diamonds mining projects manager Andre Cloete says the expansion project is transformational – for Cullinan and Petra Diamonds. “It represents the start of a brand new mine which gives us access to greater volumes of fresh, high grade undiluted ore for at least another 16 years. It is also expected to increase the frequency of recovering ‘big blue diamonds’ while ensuring the mine retains its status as one of Petra Diamonds’ flagship diamond mines well beyond 2016.”

Impressively, Petra Diamonds was able to move the project forward for less than half the original cost forecast by its original owners. This is due to a phased growth approach, an evaluation of how best to utilise existing equipment and infrastructure while finding innovative solutions to reduce general capital expenditure.

Read more: Petra Diamonds’ C-CUT Phase 1 expansion breathes new life into Cullinan South Africa’s