Africa-Press – Angola. The Luele diamond project, inaugurated on Monday by the President of the Republic, in the province of Lunda-Sul, presents itself as the newest example of the magnitude of Angolan investment in the diamond sector.
Conceived as a result of geological research carried out by Sociedade Mineira de Catoca, with the aim of increasing the country’s mineral resource base, the Luele mine is estimated to provide, over the next three years, a diamond production of 8.6 million carats.
Data advanced by the project director, Romulo Mucase, point to considerable growth in production in the Diamond sector, during the three-year period 2024/2026, with production figures expected to stand at 5.4 million carats in 2024, with future prospects of growth in subsequent years.
With the significant production, Angola should assume, according to the director of the Luale ore project, a repositioning in the World Diamond Production Ranking.
Investment
To complete the Luale diamond project, an investment of around 637.5 million dollars was required, with 65 percent of this amount being invested in mining, 25 percent in the treatment plant, technological equipment and another ten percent in infrastructure. related structures.
For the geology works, which began before the actual extraction phase was carried out, 59 million dollars were injected.
And as the numbers don’t lie and help to dispel doubts, the grandiose diamond extraction and production project totals a financial effort estimated at 843 million as a global expense for the three-year period 2024/2026, with gross revenues expected to be in the order of 1.9 billion of dollars in the same period in reference.
Jobs
The Luele Diamond Project, to paraphrase President João Lourenço, is an example of an opportunity that gives security that “our people” can be trusted, as long as they are given the opportunity they need to be able to demonstrate their capabilities.
Which means that, in terms of job creation, the project has an almost exclusively national workforce, of 1380 workers, and this number is expected to grow significantly in the medium and long term.
At this initial stage, according to engineer Rômulo Mucase, the mine is still operating and the work is under construction. It is expected that it will register an increase in employability, as Angola has a large consumer of labor in the project. national work, made up of young people trained in national universities and who will have the opportunity to develop all their learning and contribute to the country’s growth.
Social sphere
The director of the Luale ore project assured that a residential village with 300 houses is being built in the community of Luaxe, an area linked to the project. The construction of the residential area involves the involvement of traditional authorities and local communities.
The village must integrate all social services, namely school, leisure areas, health center, police station, that is, the entire apparatus aimed at its operation, ensuring the well-being of the populations surrounding the project. The house project has already started and the laying of the first stone was done on the 25th of this month.
Linked to the program is also an agricultural project, which aims to ensure sustainability and food security for neighboring populations. The area should cover an area of 45 hectares, expanding to 500 hectares, with agricultural equipment having already been distributed to local populations.
“We have a great responsibility towards the populations surrounding the diamond project, so that we are not only extracting, but also developing the communities and the province of Lunda-Sul”, assured Rômulo Mucase.
Environmental impact
The Luele mine complied with a study on the environmental impact and waste management. The Environmental Installation License and the Operation License (the latter delivered after the inauguration) are the instruments that Sociedade Mineira de Luele, according to its director, took to bring the project into compliance with international regulations.
With the start of operation of the Treatment Center, due to the technology installed, an approach was taken to considerably save the water used, with particular emphasis on the energy component, and in the medium term the thermal solution should be integrated, with the sources renewable sources, taking into account environmental responsibility.
Engineer Romulo Mucase admitted the possibility of, in a long-term vision, after exploring the mine at a depth of 600 meters, evolving into an underground mine.
“The study phase is now, so we continue to improve this information with the aim of making it possible, in fact, in the future to evolve into a mine with a combined open pit and underground solution”, he explained.
From a technical-productive point of view, he revealed that the project will work with a set of additional infrastructures, which must be erected and built, assuming that this is a challenge to create adequate conditions for the staff and partners.
The long-term vision, the project director also said, points to the challenge of, over the next 15 years, the country recovering 135 million carats, at a stage in which the mine will be producing its maximum and the treatment plant, also, at its highest point.
“We have no doubt that Angola will write its name in the world ranking of diamond producers, considering the situation of exhaustion of reserves in other geographies. This is one of the biggest challenges”, assured Romulo Mucase.
JOENADEANGOLA
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