Russian diamond miner Alrosa has begun development of a new deposit, the Zarya pipe at Aikhal Mining and Processing Division, according to a press release from the company.
The Zarya primary diamond deposit, which is one of Alrosa’s major investment projects with an initial investment of US$150 million, is expected to reach capacity of 1 million tons of ore per year by the 2021, and to have a mine life of 13 years.
The first commercial blasting triggered the first stage of the deposit development – surface stripping to remove barren sedimentary rock overlying the ore body.
“The construction of an open-pit mine on the deposit is a very important investment project. The start of mining operations at Zarya pipe will allow us to replace dwindling reserves at Komsomolsky open-pit mine,” explains Alrosa First Vice President–Executive Director Igor Sobolev.
“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,” adds Alrosa President Andrey Zharkov.
