Impact Mechanical Services Ltd's co-owners Roy Michel, (left) and Andrew Herbert, check the plans for the diamond processing plant they'll assemble for Rio Tinto's Project Falcon. (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

By Glenn Hicks

DIAMOND MINING

Local business gets major diamond project contract

May 9, 2019 | 6:09 PM

A Prince Albert company has been awarded the contract for one of the key elements of the proposed diamond mine at Forte à la Corne, around 60 kilometres east of the city. The project – to assemble, commission and maintain the diamond processing plant – will create dozens of jobs. The company’s successful bid on the project also highlights the economic spin-offs that are already materializing as full exploration efforts unfold.

Impact Mechanical Service Ltd., which is located on the south side of town, beat out other industrial firms from across the nation to grab a stake in Rio Tinto’s $18 million multi-year exploration budget on the Star Diamond property.

“It’s a big boost for our company and for the Prince Albert area,” co-owner Roy Michel told paNOW. ”We’re using all local folks, and instead of going to Alberta they can work here.”

He said the contract would add up to 40 new employees, taking total staffing to over 100.

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Co-owner of Impact Mechanical Roy Michel has come a long way since he started off on lathes similar to this. (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

His company has earned a reputation in industrial maintenance and construction across the country but this job ranks as one of the biggest and most complicated. The plant was built in South Africa and then disassembled before being shipped to the site in 26 large containers.

“Now we’re unloading all the Sea-Cans, placing it out on the big pad there and we’ll assemble it over the coming months before a big dome gets put over it to protect it from the elements, “ he said. “There must be 10,000 moving parts. It’s a massive Lego piece, probably the largest set we’ll ever have to make.”

Rio Tinto is expected to spend a number of years extracting and analyzing the vast deposits of kimberlite on the site as part of their massive bulk sampling efforts. That will help determine if a full scale mine is financially viable with the potential to employ over 600 people.

However, just to be part of the exploration process is exciting according to Impact Mechanical’s other owner.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for everyone in the area to finally have some heavy industry being talked about, ever since our pulp mill went down as well as the industrial trades,” Andrew Herbert said.

An important aspect they’re keen to point out is the educational and mentorship boost for younger employees that comes with a strong order book. The company currently has 35 apprentices as part of their workforce.

Impact Mechanical co-owner Andrew Herbert is a welder by trade and is part of a workforce of over a hundred people at the company who live in the P.A. area and are working on projects across Western Canada and further afield. (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

As for this particular project, Herbert said the diamond processing plant would take up to four months for assembly followed by the detailed commissioning phase.

“That’s fairly involved, getting the plant up and running efficiently and then finding the product they’re looking for,” Herbert said.

That product is diamonds. Various studies indicate there are plenty of them below the deep overburden on the Star Diamond properties.

Local companies with skills and expertise like Impact Mechanical will play a decisive role in establishing whether Rio Tinto’s Project Falcon ends up as nothing more than an expensive exploratory mission, or a plus 30-year venture that will create hundreds of jobs and could help rejuvenate the region’s industrial heritage.

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow