ALROSA recently launched the Zarya pipe falling under its Aikhal Mining and Processing Division.

With an expected mine life exceeding 10 years, Zarya counts as one of the Company’s major investment projects with a total investment of RUB 12 billion.

The prospect of developing the Zarya pipe was made more attractive by the fact that falling as it does in the operational zone of Aikhal Mining and Processing Division, and merely 3 km away, there is no need to build a new mining and processing division and a plant.

“The new deposit will allow compensating for the depleting stock of Komsomolsky open-pit mine and looking forward it will ensure stable mining for the division,” ALROSA stated. “In 2021, according to the development roadmap of Aikhal Mining and Processing Division the enterprise is to reach the design capacity of 1.25 million tons of ore per year and process rough diamonds at the Plant No. 14. The plan is to mine the first 100 thousand tons of kimberlite ore in 2019. The expected mine life is 11 years, the mine depth–300 meters.”

Proceedings were launched with a command – given by the Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Aysen Nikolaev and ALROSA CEO Sergey Ivanov – for the first industrial explosion of kimberlite. The Director of Aikhal Mining and Processing Division, Evgeny Denisov; Advisor to ALROSA CEO Ravil Sanatulov; representatives of Aikhal Mining and Processing Division, and many others attended the official ceremony via teleconferencing.

“It is a landmark event for both ALROSA and our country,” noted Ivanov. “It is already the second deposit launched in Yakutia in such a short span of time, which demonstrates mineral wealth of our homeland and enormous potential of our company.”

Nikolaev commented: “The diamond industry is a major contributor to the economy of our Republic. Revenue from production and sale of rough diamonds allows us to make up the budget and keep an appropriate level of social guarantees. This is why we are always looking forward to the news from ALROSA and are always gratified by the success of diamond miners. Which is more, the new deposit Zarya is also a socially important project, (bringing) new jobs for the citizens of Yakutia.”

It has taken three years for ALROSA to bring work at Zarya to this stage, since preparations to launch diamond mining began in 2016. The activities in this period included the removal of 14 million cubic meters of overburden, building of a roadway, hydraulic engineering structures and infrastructural facilities, and the purchase of technical equipment.

“All works in the open-pit mine are carried out in compliance with all labour protection and occupational safety requirements and norms,” ALROSA stressed.

The Aikhal Mining and Processing Division, which was established in 1986, has under its umbrella the open-pit mines Yubileyny and Komsomolsky; and the underground mine Aikhal. Its share in ALROSA Group’s total diamond output is 30%; in 2018 the Division mined almost 12 million carats worth  more than US$ 1.2 billion. The division employs more than 4,500 people.