The trial mining will use Stellar’s existing mining plant and equipment.
The company also plans to move kimberlite processing plant in Guinea to the Baoulé pipe and the plant commissioning is expected in August 2014.
Stellar Diamonds CEO Karl Smithson said, "The diamondiferous Baoulé pipe is located in the heart of the Aredor diamond district of Guinea which has historically yielded very large, high value diamonds from alluvial mining."
"With an internal resource estimate of at least 3 million carats at the lower end of the grade scale of between 13-40cpht we are excited to further unlock the value in this high tonnage project," Smithson added.
Discovered in 1999, the Baoulé kimberlite pipe was subject to drilling and initial bulk sampling and a geological database shows that the pipe was delineated to 5 hectares and drilled to a maximum depth of 190m.
In-house modelling of previous drilling over the pipe recommends a target of more than 22 million tons to a depth of 300m, the company said.
