Irish diamond exploration and development company Botswana Diamonds plans to expand its presence in Botswana with two potential projects in the pipeline as well as an ongoing project.
The company signed a joint venture with a Russian diamond mining company to undertake exploration in the country besides an agreement with a private South African company to acquire a possible stake in prospecting licenses.
Botswana Diamonds executive chairperson John Teeling told Mining Weekly that the company commenced drilling on an exploration license in Orapa in February.
"We identified three high-potential targets on good ground, which are part of the Orapa kimberlite cluster on the Kaapvaal craton.
"We have applied for adjacent ground which has become available," Teeling added.
The Russian company, under the recent agreement, will utilize a new technology to enable the identification of large diamondiferous kimberlites in Botswana.
Teeling explained that as new mines in the country were mostly found at the surface or near the surface, this technology is completely new for Botswana.
The new technology is believed to identify kimberlitic structures up to 100m below the sand and basalt.