Alrosa Re-opens another Mine as Demand Recovers
July 15, 21
(IDEX Online) - Alrosa has resumed operations at another low-output mine, as the demand for rough recovers.
The Zarnitsa open-pit mine (pictured), in Yakutia, Russia, stopped production in May 2020 as the market slumped, but the state-owned miner said it resumed operations on 1 July.
Ore from Zarnitsa - one of the first primary diamond deposits discovered in the then-USSR - will not be processed until next year, when production volume is predicted to be 600,000 carats, double the figure for 2020.
Last month Alrosa re-opened another low-output deposit, the Zarya open pit, also in Yakutia, which produced 257,000 carats in 2020.
Earlier this week it warned of "a long period of supply deficit" as demand remained high, rough diamond stocks at the Indian mid-stream segment were low, and miners' rough stocks hit rock bottom levels.