Dominion seeks to expand Ekati diamond mine.

Dominion Diamond Corporation filed the application with the Wek'eezhii Land and Water Board to expand the Ekati Diamond Mine, Canada's first surface and underground diamond mine to include two new kimberlite pipes called ‘Jay’ pipe, which is the largest known diamond deposit in North America and ‘Cardinal’ pipe.

If their requests are approved by the relevant authorities and the extension is built, it would extend the life of the mine by another 10 to 20 years. At current extraction rates, Ekati is projected to produce rough diamonds for another six years. The Jay-Cardinal Project involves the development of the largest diamondiferous resource in North America.

The Jay and Cardinal kimberlite pipes are located in Lac du Sauvage in the southeastern portion of the Ekati mine property and are about 25 km from the main facilities. The two pipes are located in the Buffer Zone Joint Venture, in which the Company has a 58.8% control interest.