Lucapa Diamond Company, which is engaged in exploration and mining activity in Angola in association with its partners Empresa Nacional de Diamantes EP (Endiama) and Rosas & Petalas, has announced that is has been granted a new kimberlite exploration license for the Lulo diamond project by Angola's Minister of Mines and Geology, Hon’ble Francisco Manuel Monteiro de Queiroz.

The license is for a period of five years and covers the entire 3,000 square km concession, according to a statement released by the miner.

The Company said that it had recently stepped up its kimberlite exploration programme at Lulo recently in anticipation of the license being granted and has already installed a second drilling rig on the site. A third rig will also arrive next month.

Alongside this, Lucapa will also be conducting a helicopter-borne time-domain electromagnetic survey to help identify any additional nonmagnetic kimberlite targets and to improve the definition of the known targets.