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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Construction spending on BHP Billiton's Misery Ekati Diamond Mine open pit project is ramping up.

An aerial view of BHP Billiton's Misery open pit at Ekati Diamond Mine, located close to 310 km northeast of Yellowknife. - photo courtesy of BHP Billiton Canada Inc.

Capital cost of the open pit project is $323 million.

The pit is expected to ramp up production at Ekati, the country's first diamond mine, which is slated to close in 2018.

Ekati is located close to 310 km northeast of Yellowknife and Misery is about 30 km south of the main camp, according to Alexander Legaree, community and external affairs for BHP.

It is not yet known how many workers are required for the open pit project, but BHP is currently hiring in the North and visiting communities over the spring.

Ekati has almost 1,400 employees.

The Misery project consists of further mining of a pit that was mined from 2001 to 2005.

The expansion aims to produce ore from 2015 to 2017.

Construction will also include building satellite facilities, Legaree added, stating it is ongoing "safely, on budget and on time."

BHP Billiton, owner of 80 per cent interest in Ekati, is contributing 80 per cent of the pit construction cost.

Work will continue on the Misery project into 2013, according to the Conference Board of Canada.

BHP Billiton announced last May that the Misery open pit project was approved.

Ekati produced about 2.5 million carats of diamonds in fiscal 2011, according to the board.

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