Russian mining giant Alrosa is planning to hold an open competition for design solutions to enable the resumption of diamond mining at Mir deposit. The official investigation into the fatal accident on the Mir diamond mine on August 4, which cost the lives of eight miners, came to a close on November 10 with the firing of two top execs and reprimand of other persons found responsible.
The decision to hold a design competition was announced in follow-up the research and technology seminar in Yakutniproalmaz Institute. The participants outlined three focus areas for the development of technical solutions to ensure the safety of underground mining operations at the deposit. The seminar was attended by 70 specialists from structural subdivisions. Experts presented 16 reports with more than 30 possible approaches and options for the resumption of mining at the deposit.
Alrosa President Sergey Ivanov in a press statement: “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”.
