Alrosa has officially launched work on the Karpinsky-2 kimberlite pipe at the M.V. Lomonosov diamond field in Russia’s Arkhangelsk region. This marks the third active pipe at the site, joining Arkhangelsk and Karpinsky-1.
With over 40 million tonnes of diamond-bearing ore in reserves, Karpinsky-2 was first tested in 2018 during pilot mining operations, which confirmed its economic potential. Preparations for full-scale development began earlier this year. Alrosa’s CEO Pavel Marinychev kicked off the design phase during a recent visit to Severalmaz, the group’s local subsidiary.
During his visit, Marinychev also reviewed Severalmaz’s 2025 performance. In the first five months of the year, the company exceeded ore extraction targets and cut downtime through faster maintenance, leading to a 9.4% increase in ore processing. This helped generate over 1.2 million carats of rough diamonds.
He also praised the progress on a new water recycling project at the Lomonosov processing plant and urged the completion of a gym for workers at the shift village by the end of the year.
“I am sure that the work of the Severalmaz team will drive the enterprise’s continued growth. We remain committed to providing safe working conditions and contributing to the development of the Arkhangelsk region,” Marinychev said.
Alrosa, the world’s leading diamond producer, accounts for 30% of global and 90% of Russian diamond output. In 2024, the group produced 33 million carats, with reserves exceeding 1 billion carats.