Russian mining giant Alrosa has announced a revision of its output plan for its International Diamond Mine, which is located 16 km of the town of Mirny. According to the company, the revision comes in the wake of the toughened “approach to health and safety management” after the fatal accident at Mir in 2017. At the same time, Alrosa stressed that “2018 production plan remains unchanged”.
In a press release, Alrosa said it is suspending “the construction of deep mine levels below the level -800 meters”, where it is necessary to carry out works “to prevent gas-dynamic phenomena recorded” there. According to preliminary estimates, mining operations below the level -800 meters will be fully restored in 2023.
ALROSA’s production plan for 2018 remains unchanged at 36.6 million carats. According to the Company’s estimates, from 2019 to 2022, the decline in production at International will be between 0.5 and 0.8 million carats per year. In 2017, the underground mine produced 3.7 million carats of rough diamonds. CEO Sergey Ivanov commented: “In our decision to reduce pace and output we were guided by new stricter rules governing health and safety system.Our employees’ health and safety are an absolute priority for us”.
