Our Mine Through Time

Take a trip with us down memory lane as we look back on how the Koidu Kimberlite Project has developed over the years.

  • 2002 The flooded K1 kimberlite pipe adjacent to Sokogbe village, surrounded by artisanal diggings and burnt out remnants of mining equipment and infrastructure destroyed during the war. The area is dominated by grassland with clusters of palm trees and mango trees growing in the settlements.
  • 2002 The flooded K2 kimberlite pipe.
  • 2003 Development of the mine underway, including the earthworks and construction of the new 50 tonne per hour DMS processing plant, slimes dam, workshop , stores and office complex.
  • 2004 10 November - The mine has been in production for just over 11 months, drawing ore from the K1 and K2 kimberlite pipes and drawing people into the area in search of employment and opportunities.
  • 2005 The initial open pit phase of mining at K1 ends and the waste development required for establishment of the collar, A-frame hoist and winder are the main focus.
  • 2005 Establishment of the Vertical Pit collar infrastructure is complete and the hoist and winder commissioned.
  • 2006 The Vertical Pit at K1 is in production while operations at K2 are put on hold.
  • 2006 A view of the 50 tonne per hour DMS plant in the foreground, with the workshops, stores and office complex towards Monkey Hill in the distance.
  • 2007 The K1 Vertical Pit at a depth of 111 m from surface and 57 m from the Vertical Pit collar.
  • 2007 August 2007 - From the lookout point at the collar of the vertical pit , people, drill rigs and excavators appear tiny.
  • 2007 December 2007 - Operations at the Vertical Pit came to an end, the pit flooded, the earthmoving equipment at the base of the pit was lifted to surface, and the headgear and winder dismantled.
  • 2008 A dormant mine.
  • 2008 The mine re-opened in August 2008. Energy was focussed on gaining access to ore from the K2 open pit , evaluating the dykes and blows on the property and working on the underground mining pre-feasibility study.
  • 2009 11 November 2009 - Bulk sampling of Dyke Zone A, Dyke Zone B, Blow A, Blow B3 and development of the K2 open pit in progress.
  • 2009 K1 vertical pit and Blow A still flooded. Clean borehole water enjoyed by the community at the discharge point visible in the bottom left corner.
  • 2009 Waste Development at K2 advanced to a stage providing access to the pit floor for the core and large diameter drillrigs as Phase 1 of the Bulk sampling programme gets underway.
  • 2009 The K2 pit floor is a hive of activity as drilling of pilot core drill holes precedes drilling the first phase of large diameter bulk sample drillholes.
  • 2010 K1 Vertical Pit still flooded.
  • 2010 Bulk sampling across the pit floor followed the completion of the second phase of Large Diameter drilling at K2.
  • 2011 8 January 2011  K2 open pit in full production
  • 2011 1 June 2011 - Dewatering of the vertical pit and waste development to re-establish an open pit operation at K1.
  • 2011 1 June 2011 - K2 open pit production continues.
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