Mining Intelligence and News
Lesotho

Liqhobong Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusCare and Maintenance
Commodities
  • Diamond
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotOn 15 October 2024, Firestone Diamonds Limited announced the suspension of operations at the Liqhobong Mine in Lesotho, due to persistent financial challenges stemming from weak global diamond market conditions. Despite the implementation of a strategic plan to scale down operations and operate the plant on a single 12-hour day shift, the combination of continued market weakness, lower-than-expected revenue from the revised operations, and the additional costs to be incurred from running on generator power— necessitated by repairs to the Muela Hydro Power Station and the resulting poor-quality grid power supplied to the Mine from 1 October 2024—has rendered the plan financially unviable. Consequently, Firestone has decided to transition the Mine to care and maintenance in October to safeguard its assets and preserve future operational potential.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho 25 % Indirect
Firestone Diamonds plc 75 % Indirect
Liqhobong Mining Development Company (Pty) Ltd. (operator) 100 % Direct
Liqhobong mine is operated by Liqhobong Mining Development Company (Proprietary) Limited ('LMDC'), which is 75% owned by Firestone Diamonds and 25% owned by the Government of Lesotho.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Kimberlite

Summary:

The Liqhobong Mine lease area contains a cluster of at least five diamondiferous kimberlite bodies; namely the Main Pipe, Satellite Pipe, Discovery Blow, the Blow and a NW-SE striking dyke that is traceable from the perimeters of both the Main and Satellite Pipes. The surface areas of these pipes and blows are ~8.5 hectares, 1.6 hectares, 0.15 hectares and 0.1m hectares respectively. All the currently known five diamondiferous kimberlites of the Liqhobong cluster are within a strike length of at least 2.5 km (Leroux, 2010). Both blows and the Satellite Pipe are generously endowed with kimberlite indicator minerals (KIMs) occurring as xenocrysts. The main pipe is comparatively less enriched in the kimberlite indicator minerals but has abundant olivine macrocrysts and mantle xenoliths, the latter which commonly bear the KIMs.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityUnits20232020201920182017
Diamond carats  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe829,458835,832365,891

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222020201920182017
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3,664,315 t3,802,568 t1,966,493 t
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe4,442,926 t2,910,636 t1,784,894 t
Total tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe8,107,241 t6,713,204 t3,751,387 t
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3.7 Mt3.8 Mt2 Mt
Hourly processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Operating Costs

Currency20232020201920182017
Direct operating costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Financials

Units20232020201920182017
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 4   2   30.9  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 57.2   62.2   27.8  
Gross profit M USD  ....  Subscribe 10.3   5.1  
After-tax Income M USD -45.4   -4.5   -139.2  
EBIT M USD -33.7   -1.1   -119.5  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 10, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 10, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 10, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 10, 2024

Total WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required 2017

Aerial view:

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