Dominion Diamond Mines, which filed for insolvency in April, has sold its Ekati mine, in Canada after receiving a solitary bid.
The buyers are part of The Washington Companies, a privately held conglomerate based in Montana, USA, that bought Dominion in 2017 for $1.2bn.
Toronto-based Dominion, the world’s third largest producer of rough diamonds by value, shut Ekati in March because of COVID-19.
The mine has been bought by Canadian Diamond Holdings, L.P. and CA Canadian Diamond Mines ULC in a $146m deal that is set be signed in November.
Dominion also holds a minority interest in the Diavik mine, but Rio Tinto, its joint venture partner, vetoed selling it. The two companies are currently locked in a legal battle over the management of the mine and production targets.
