Stornoway Diamond Corporation (TSX-SWY) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary Les Diamants Stornoway (Canada) Inc. has completed a Financing Agreement with the Québec Ministère des Finances et de l’Économie (“MFE”) under which Stornoway will be financed to complete the construction of a mining-grade access road to the Renard Diamond Project (the “Renard Mine Road”). The Financing Agreement is pursuant to a Framework Agreement and associated Letter of Intent previously executed between Québec and Stornoway and announced on November 15, 2012. The Framework Agreement and the now-completed Financing Agreement are designed to ensure all-season road access to Renard during 2013. Features of the Financing Agreement are as follows:

• Québec to provide Stornoway with a credit facility of up to C$77m (“Loan A”) to complete the road construction work, at an annual interest rate of 3.35% percent, for a term of 15 years, with repayment beginning 48 months following first disbursement, and deferrable up to 2 years due to any delay in the attainment of commercial production at Renard past July 1, 2016.
   
• Québec to provide Stornoway an additional overrun facility of up to C$7.7m (“Loan B”), at an annual interest rate of 6.3% percent, with repayments concurrent with Loan A.
   
• Stornoway undertakes to complete construction of the Renard Mine Road no later than June 30, 2015, subject to certain terms, including terms of the previously announced Framework Agreement.

On the basis of the construction schedule as currently anticipated, Stornoway expects to request an initial disbursement under Loan A during the month of December 2012.

About the Renard Mine Road

Construction on a 240km long extension of the Route 167 into the Otish Mountains region of Québec, providing all-season road access to Renard by way of the communities of Mistissini and Chibougamau, began in February 2012 under the auspices of the Québec Ministère des Transports (“MTQ”). Construction is being undertaken in four segments, “A” to “D” [http://stornowaydiamonds.com/_resources/route167_extension_with%20sections(2).pdf]. Under the terms of the November 15, 2012 Framework Agreement between Stornoway and the MFE, the MTQ and the Québec Ministère des Ressources Naturelles (“MRN”), the MTQ will complete the first 143km of the road over segments A and B as a 70km/hr two-lane gravel highway, as previously planned. Starting in April 2013, Stornoway will assume construction of the remaining 97km covered by segments C and D as a 50km/hr single-lane mining grade road. To facilitate this schedule, the MTQ has committed to complete a winter road by March 2013, allowing temporary access to Renard and the mobilization of fuel, road construction equipment and camps. Given the reduced scope of the mining road that will be built on segments C and D, and the progress that has been made to date on segments A and B, it is expected that this construction plan will allow all-season road access to be available to Renard starting in the 4^th Quarter of 2013 and mine construction to commence forthwith. Maintenance costs on segments C and D will be borne by Stornoway, and by the MTQ on segments A and B. The cost of the Renard Mine Road has been estimated by Stornoway at C$77 million, including a 15% contingency.

About the Renard Diamond Project

The Renard Diamond Project is located approximately 250 km north of the Cree community of Mistissini and 350 km north of Chibougamau in the James Bay region of North-Central Québec. In November 2011, Stornoway released the results of a Feasibility Study for Renard that highlighted the potential of the project to become a significant producer of high value rough diamonds over a long mine life. NI 43-101 compliant Probable Mineral Reserves stand at 18.0 million carats, with a further 17.5 million carats classified as Inferred Mineral Resources, and 23.5 to 48.5 million carats classified as non-resource exploration upside. All kimberlites remain open at depth. Pre-production capital cost stands at an estimated C$802 million, with a life of mine operating cost of C$54.71/tonne giving a 68% operating margin over an initial 11 year mine life. Readers are referred to the technical report dated December 29, 2011 in respect of the Renard Diamond Project for further details and assumptions relating to the project.

About Stornoway Diamond Corporation

Stornoway is a leading Canadian diamond exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY. Our flagship asset is the 100% owned Renard Diamond Project, on track to becoming Québec’s first diamond mine. Stornoway also maintains an active diamond exploration program with both advanced and grassroots programs in the most prospective regions of Canada. Stornoway is a growth oriented company with a world class asset, in one of the world’s best mining jurisdictions, in one of the world’s great mining businesses.

On behalf of the Board

STORNOWAY DIAMOND CORPORATION

/s/ “Matt Manson”

Matt Manson

President and Chief Executive Officer
 

For more information, please contact Matt Manson (President and CEO) at 416-304-1026
or Nick Thomas (Manager Investor Relations) at 604-983-7754, toll free at 1-877-331-2232

Pour plus d’information, veuillez contacter M. Ghislain Poirier, Vice-président Affaires publiques de Stornoway au 418-780-3938, gpoirier@stornowaydiamonds.com

** Website: www.stornowaydiamonds.com Email: info@stornowaydiamonds.com **

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This information and these statements, referred to herein as “forward-looking statements”, are made as of the date of this press release and the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect current expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) the amount of mineral resources and exploration targets; (ii) the amount of future production over any period; (iii) net present value and internal rates of return of the mining operation; (iv) assumptions relating to capital costs, operating costs and other cost metrics set out in the Feasibility Study; (v) assumptions relating to gross revenues, operating cash flow and other revenue metrics set out in the Feasibility Study; (vi) assumptions relating to recovered grade, average ore recovery and other mining parameters set out in the Feasibility Study; (vii) mine expansion potential and expected mine life; (viii) expected time frames for completion of permitting and regulatory approvals and making a production decision; (ix) the expected time frames for delivery of a winter road by the Québec Ministère des Transports, construction of a mining grade road by Stornoway and completion generally of the Route 167 extension and the financial obligations or costs incurred by Stornoway in connection with such road extension; (x) future exploration plans; (xi) future market prices for rough diamonds; and (xii) sources of and anticipated financing requirements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “projects”, “estimates”, “assumes”, “intends”, “strategy”, “goals”, “objectives” or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are made based upon certain assumptions by Stornoway or its consultants and other important factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performances or achievements of Stornoway to be materially different from future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which Stornoway will operate in the future, including the price of diamonds, anticipated costs and ability to achieve goals. Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performances or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) estimated approval date of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment; (ii) required capital investment and estimated workforce requirements; (iii) estimates of net present value and internal rates of return; (iv) receipt of regulatory approvals on acceptable terms within commonly experienced time frames; (v) the assumption that a production decision will be made, and that decision will be positive; (vi) anticipated timelines for the commencement of mine production; (vii) anticipated timelines related to the delivery of a winter road by the Québec Ministère des Transports, construction of a mining grade road by Stornoway and completion generally of the Route 167 extension and the impact on the development schedule at Renard; (viii) anticipated timelines for community consultations and the impact of those consultations on the regulatory approval process; (ix) market prices for rough diamonds and the potential impact on the Renard Project’s value; and (x) future exploration plans and objectives.

By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that assumptions do not reflect future experience. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important risk factors could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from the beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates, assumptions and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. These risk factors may be generally stated as the risk that the assumptions and estimates expressed above do not occur, including the assumption in many forward-looking statements that other forward-looking statements will be correct, but specifically include, without limitation, (i) risks relating to variations in the grade, kimberlite lithologies and country rock content within the material identified as mineral resources from that predicted; (ii) variations in rates of recovery and breakage; (iii) the greater uncertainty of exploration targets; (iv) developments in world diamond markets; (v) slower increases in diamond valuations than assumed; (vi) risks relating to fluctuations in the Canadian dollar and other currencies relative to the US dollar; (vii) increases in the costs of proposed capital and operating expenditures; (viii) increases in financing costs or adverse changes to the terms of available financing if any; (ix) tax rates or royalties being greater than assumed; (x) results of exploration in areas of potential expansion of resources; (xi) changes in development or mining plans due to changes in other factors or exploration results of Stornoway; (xii) changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; (xiii) risks relating to receipt of regulatory approvals or the implementation of the existing Impact and Benefits Agreement with aboriginal communities; (xiv) the effects of competition in the markets in which Stornoway operates; (xv) operational and infrastructure risks; (xvi) technical, environmental, permitting and execution risk relating to the construction by Stornoway of a mining grade road forming part of the Route 167 extension, (xvii) weather conditions or other unpredictable events which may impact the construction or planned availability of a winter road by March 2013; and (xviii) the additional risks described in Stornoway's most recently filed Annual Information Form, annual and interim MD&A, and Stornoway's anticipation of and success in managing the foregoing risks. Stornoway cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive.

When relying on our forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to Stornoway, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Stornoway does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by Stornoway or on our behalf, except as required by law.