Canada Diamond Mine Opening Delayed until 2017

The Gahcho Kue diamond mine is unlikely to begin production in 2015 as its majority owners De Beers originally announced, but is instead likely to first churn out rough diamonds as late as 2017, Mining.com reports cited by Israelidiamond.co.il. De Beers blamed the unanticipated delay on regulatory restrictions which curtailed the amount of preparatory material which could be shipped to the site in recent months.
Although the Gahcho Kue project has already received approval from the Canadian government, progress is still being held up for want of a water license and construction and operational permits. Those hurdles could be cleared as soon as the fall, hollowing public hearings which are currently scheduled to take place in a month and a half, according to Mining.com.
If and when Gahcho Kue ramps up to its expected 4.5 million carat annual capacity, it will become the world's largest and richest diamond mine and offset the decline in production at Diavik and Ekati, Canada's premier diamond mines.