ALROSA Commences Development of New Open Pit Deposit
June 13, 16
(IDEX Online News) – Russian miner ALROSA, the world’s leading diamond producer by volume, has announced the commencement of development of a new deposit, the Zarya pipe at its Aikhal Mining and Processing Division.
The company said that the first commercial blasting, which triggered the first stage of the deposit development – surface stripping to remove barren sedimentary rock overlaying the ore body – recently took place. The mine is expected to reach its design capacity of 1 million tons per year, by 2021 – and is anticipated to have a 13-year life span.
Zarya’s development is one of ALROSA’s major investment projects, with the initial investment expected to be around RUB9.8 billion ($149 million).
"The development of Zarya will guarantee stable use of existing capacities and ensure total rough diamond recovery of 3.6 million carats throughout the mine development," said ALROSA President Andrey Zharkov.
The Aikhal Mining and Processing Division was established in 1986 and its share in the ALROSA Group’s total production in 2015, reached 32 percent. In the first quarter of 2016, it mined 2.68 million carats and employs more than 4,300 people.