Higher Grades Boost Mountain Province

RAPAPORT… Production at the Gahcho Kué mine increased 20% year on year to
1.9 million carats in the second quarter, as the asset yielded higher-grade
recovery.


“The second-quarter performance continues to follow the
trend of ongoing excellent performance set by the Gahcho Kué mine team, in a
safe and sustainable manner,” Stuart Brown, CEO of Mountain Province, which
owns the mine in a joint venture with De Beers, said last week. “We expect this
trend to continue as we enter the second half of the year.”


The plant treated 899,000 tonnes of ore during the 12 weeks ending June 30, a 17% rise over the
same period last year, the miner said. The grade recovered increased 2% to 2.15 carats per tonne.


Mountain Province’s share of production was 946,000 carats
from its 49% ownership of the Gahcho Kué project. De Beers holds the remaining
51%.


The company expects to achieve the upper end of its full-year
production estimate of 6.3 million to 6.6 million carats.