Alrosa’s Investment Committee has approved an investment project to develop reserves at deep levels of the Udachnaya pipe, one of the world’s largest diamond deposits. Implementation of this large-scale project will extend the mine’s lifespan until at least 2055, with annual production exceeding 4 million tons of diamond-bearing ore. Investment is estimated at 20 billion rubles.
The project involves stripping and mining levels down to a depth of 1.13 km below the surface, reaching an absolute elevation of -780 m (the surface elevation is +355 m). Construction will be conducted in parallel with deepening mining operations and will last until 2040. Mining is scheduled to be completed no earlier than 2055. The previous project for developing the Udachnaya pipe envisaged completion of production in 2039 at the -680 m mark.
“Implementing this investment project will allow us to significantly extend the life of the deposit, which currently produces over 10% of Russia’s diamonds. From 2025 to 2055, 4.1 million tons of ore will be mined annually, with estimated profits of nearly 6 billion rubles per year,” said Pavel Marinychev, CEO of Alrosa.
The deep-level development project has received all the necessary approvals from the Main Directorate of State Expertise. A feasibility study has been approved.
Deep-level mining will be carried out using proven technology, which has proven itself to be efficient and safe. Innovative mining technologies will also be widely used. Various digital systems are already being actively tested at the underground mine. For example, artificial intelligence is used to monitor the loading of mine trucks and the condition of the main conveyor that delivers ore to the surface. A remote control system for quarry breakers has been implemented to crush oversized ore pieces.
Reference: The Udachnaya pipe deposit is among the largest and most well-known in the world. It is located in western Yakutia, in the Mirny district. Its discovery in 1955 was one of the most significant achievements of Soviet geologists. Open-pit mining began in 1967. In 2014, Alrosa commissioned the F.B. Andreev Udachny underground mine to develop deeper horizons.
The underground mine is part of the Udachny Mining and Processing Plant, which is the mainstay of the city of Udachny. More than 1,200 people are employed at the underground mine. Currently, the reserves of the Udachnaya pipe deposit have been explored to a depth of 1,635 meters from the surface.
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