(IDEX Online) - Mining preparation operations at the new diamond deposit Zarya of ALROSA in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), which began in June 2016, are entering the final stage, the miner said.
Over the past two years, 10 million cubic meters of overburden have been removed from the open pit mine, and its depth reached 100 meters. Diamond mining, as planned, will begin next year. The deposit is estimated to contain 3.5 million carats of diamonds worth more than $1 billion. Its development will allow replacing the declining reserves of the Komsomolskaya pipe where mining operations are nearing completion. "The overburden removed from Zarya now amounts to 10 million cubic meters, and the open pit mine reached the depth of 100 meters. The kimberlite ore lies beneath 20 meters of overburden. The field infrastructure is developed at the same time. This year, drainage ditch construction, installation and adjustment of the pumping unit will be completed. The open pit mine construction is planned to be completed in 2019. The open pit mine is expected to reach its design capacity of 1,250 million tons of ore annually in 2021," said Timofey Baishev, deputy head of production of the Komsomolsky open pit mine. The development of the field is planned to a depth of 300 meters with the extraction of 12 million tons of ore. The open pit mining of reserves is planned in 2030 to be finished. The average diamond content is estimated at 0.28 carats per ton of ore. The total investment will be about RUB 12 billion. About 130 people are involved in the open pit mine operations.