Case Study - Ekati Diamond Mine
The EKATI Diamond Mine is located approximately 300 kilometers northeast of Yellowknife, 200 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories, Canada, and 100 kilometers north of the treeline, in an area of continuous permafrost.
Access to the EKATI Diamond Mine is by air only, except during a three-month period in winter, when a 400-kilometer ice road allows for the trucking of bulk supplies to the site.
In 1993, two fully-insulated Sprung structures were used as the pilot processing facilities to help determine the original mine’s viability.
In 2003 both structures were relocated adjacent to the main processing plant and are now used to verify the economics of new kimberlitic/diamond pipes.
This small sampling facility has become an integral part of this remote mining operation by allowing the stakeholders to drastically reduce lead time, improve production rates and lower costs.
The lightweight substructure and easy-to-assemble modular construction make Sprung structures very cost effective to ship to remote locations when compared to steel or metal building alternatives.
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