Newfield on track to deliver first diamonds later this year

ASX-listed Newfield Resources is on track to produce the first diamonds from its Tongo diamond mine, in Sierra Leone, in the fourth quarter of this year.

The miner on Thursday also said it would soon start the drilling and blasting of the underground decline at Tongo, following the arrival of the mining and support equipment on site.

The underground mining machinery comprises two jumbo drill rigs, two 15 t haul trucks and two load, haul and dump machines, or loaders.

Following shipping delays out of China, the machinery has cleared customs and undergone commissioning.

Support equipment for the decline development had also been shipped out of South Africa and received on site, Newfield said.

Surface infrastructure construction was ongoing and the 100 t/h plant fabrication was progressing well, the diamond explorer and developer said in a statement.