ALROSA Inviting Design Solutions To Resume Production At Mir

(IDEX Online) – ALROSA is holding a competition for design solutions to enable the resumption of diamond mining at the Mir deposit where eight miners lost their lives in an accident in August.

Three focus areas for the development of technical solutions to ensure the safety of underground mining operations at the deposit were outlined in a seminar attended by 70 specialists, ALROSA reported.

Experts presented 16 reports with more than 30 possible approaches and options for the resumption of mining at the deposit. During the discussion of reports and speeches, the seminar participants outlined three major directions of further development of technical and technological approaches to the safe resumption of mining at the deposit.

The first provides for the restoration of existing openings (shafts) and pit bottom roadways ensuring the maximum possible use of the existing surface complex infrastructure. The second approach involves the construction of new shafts to the full depth of explored reserves, with the priority mining of deep levels and simultaneous creation of an integrated drainage system from the deposit through a drainage shaft and dewatering wells. The third approach provides for the cutback of walls of Mir open-pit mine to ensure the access to its bottom and create effective water pumping with subsequent underground mining.

In order to create a detailed and comprehensive study of approaches to solving the problem of resumption of mining and preparation of the final technical design, ALROSA is planning to hold an open competition for design solutions, expecting to engage with a wide range of specialized organizations, scientists and experts, the miner said. The competition will reveal the best technical solution or a set of solutions to be applied while developing the concept of resumption of mining at Mir deposit. This concept will form the basis of the technological regulations and technical design for the safe and cost-effective development of the deposit reserves.

ALROSA President Sergey Ivanov said: "Our core task is to ensure the complete safety of operations at Mir deposit, therefore we need a perfect design solution. We will get involved the entire leading scientific community, both Russian and international experts, in the development of the underground mine restoration project. We expect to receive the vision of the future project in the III quarter of next year."