Ellendale Diamond Mine

The J Channel operation forms part of the Ellendale Diamond Project, situated in the West Kimberley region of Western Australia, approximately 2,000 km northeast of Perth. This extreme remoteness creates critical supply chain vulnerabilities: consumables, reagents, and heavy equipment must traverse long-haul road corridors via the Great Northern Highway or be airfreighted into Broome. Seasonal wet-season road closures further compress operational windows, demanding robust forward inventory management and pre-positioning of critical spares.

IBDH operates J Channel alongside the L and K channels under a consolidated Ellendale project framework, currently classified as Operating. Workforce deployment relies on FIFO rotational rosters serviced through Broome Airport, with camp-based accommodation sustaining personnel on-site. B2B vendors supplying fuel, catering, water treatment, and camp maintenance services must demonstrate capacity to meet remote-site SLAs. Contract structures typically favour suppliers with established Kimberley regional logistics networks and proven wet-season contingency protocols.

J Channel targets alluvial and eluvial diamond-bearing gravels deposited within ancient channel systems. The extraction circuit typically involves:

• Primary scrubbing and trommel screening to disaggregate clay-bound gravels
• Dense media separation (DMS) for coarse diamond recovery
• X-ray transmission (XRT) or grease-belt final recovery circuits
• Tailings management and water recycling systems

Physical-chemical demands on reagents and wear components are significant given abrasive Kimberley lateritic gravels.

Operating in a high-scrutiny ESG environment, IBDH's Ellendale operations are subject to Western Australian DMP environmental conditions and Aboriginal heritage obligations under the WA Aboriginal Heritage Act. Key sustainability vectors include:

• Water recycling within the DMS and scrubbing circuits to minimise freshwater drawdown
• Potential integration of off-grid solar-diesel hybrid power to reduce Scope 1 emissions
• Rehabilitation bonding and progressive land restoration commitments
• Responsible sourcing alignment with Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS)