Mothae indicated diamond resource up 280% - Lucapa

Lucapa Diamond says its 70%-owned Mothae Mine, in Lesotho, has recorded a 280% increase in indicated diamond resource.
It said a total Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) classified Indicated Resource increased by 6.8Mt to 9.2Mt (~280%).
It contained up to 280,000 carats of diamonds at a diamond grade of 3.10 carats per one hundred tonnes (cpht) and an average un-escalated modelled diamond value of $635 per carat.
Also, a total JORC classified Inferred Resource has been estimated for 39.4 million tonnes, containing up to 960,000 carats of diamonds at a diamond grade of 2.44 cpht and an average un-escalated modelled diamond value of $601 per carat. 
"The updated Mothae Resource is the result of significant work undertaken to increase the resource and classification at Mothae following almost 16 months of mining and treatment through the new commercial plant," said Lucapa managing director Stephen Wetherall.
"The increase in tonnes and carats, the classification of 9.2Mt or ~280,000 carats into indicated resource category at an estimated diamond value of $635 per carat strongly supports an expansion in production at Mothae that the partners are considering."
The 1.1Mtpa Mothae kimberlite mine commenced commercial mining and processing operations in January 2019.
It produced more than 30,000 carats in its first year of production, including three +100 carat diamonds.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished