Government approval has been granted to go ahead with a large diamond mining project in Eastern Canada, Mining.com reports. The Environment Ministry of the Province of Quebec authorized diamond company Stornoway to mine at its Renard project.

The pivotal piece of paper, called the MDDEFP global Certificate of Authorization, is the single most important hurdle Stornoway has had to surmount in regards to the Renard project, chief executive office Matt Manson said.

In order to secure the approval, Stornoway spent two years conducting environmental studies and consulting with local communities which would be affected by the project.

The Renard concession is thought to contain 18 million carats and another 17.5 million carats are inferred to be there. The cost of the project before the first diamond is even produced is approximately $800 million.