Stornoway Diamond Corporation announced the completion of Pre-Operational Verification at the Renard Project diamond process plant and the formal commencement of plant commissioning. The company has installed and tested the principal plant equipment and control systems, and the hand-over from Stornoway’s construction management team to the plant operating staff has been completed.

The commissioning of the process plant will involve the operation of the plant’s crushers, vibrating screens, conveyors, pumps, diamond recovery circuits, and processed kimberlite management systems first with water (wet commissioning) and then ore. This process is expected to take several weeks.

Matt Manson, President and CEO, commented: “The formal commencement of plant commissioning is a major milestone for the Renard Project and our construction management team. It has been achieved approximately 8 weeks ahead of our re-baselined construction schedule, which was already a 5 month improvement on the execution plan established in July 2014.”