Image credit: ALROSA
The Federal Autonomous Establishment of Russia, Glavgosekspertiza (Main State Expert Review Board) issued a positive conclusion on the basis of the verification of the estimated cost of mining operations for the stripping and development of the Internatsionalnaya pipe in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the institution’s official website says.
The Glavgosexpertiza verified the estimated cost of the project which will include the stripping and development at the Internatsionalnaya pipe at -790m / -1250m (1190m / 1650m below the surface). The projected output at ultra-deep horizons will reportedly amount to 350 thousand tons of ore per year with a total mine output of 500 thousand tons per year. The construction of surface units is not planned at this stage of the project.
According to the report, the Internatsionalnaya kimberlite pipe’s diamond grade stood at about 8 carats per tonne.
An independent JORC resource estimate for the mine states that it can be developed until 2035.
The pipe is being developed by the Russian company ALROSA.
The Internatsionalnaya kimberlite pipe was discovered in 1969, 16 km from the city of Mirny in Yakutia.
The career was developed in the early 1980s to a depth of 285 m. Since 1999, ALROSA’s Mir Mining and Processing Plant has been carrying out operations underground.
Victoria Quiri, Correspondent of the European Bureau, Rough & Polished, Strasbourg
