Alrosa H1 Production +13% to 18 million Carats
July 21, 15
(IDEX Online News) – ALROSA today (Tuesday) announced that its first half production totalled 18 million carats, an increase of 13 percent year-over-year.
At the Karpinskogo-1 pipe of the Lomonosov deposit (Severalmaz), diamond output
increased to 600,000 carats after production began in October 2014.
Higher grade ore was processed from extra stockpiles at the open pit of the Udachnaya pipe.
At the Mir underground mine, diamond output almost doubled through measures to reduce water inflow, while the first 481,000 carats of diamonds were produced from the Botuobinskaya pipe after its launch in March 2015.
In terms of sales, ALROSA sold 18 million carats of diamonds during the first half, with the company estimating that revenue from rough diamond sales during the period is set to reach at least $2.1 billion.
During the second quarter of the year, ALROSA sold 9 million carats, including 5.6 million carats of gem-quality diamonds at an average price of $176 per carat (p/c) and 3.4 million carats of industrial diamonds at an average price of $11 p/c.
The company said that rough diamond prices declined by 3 percent during the quarter. Overall, prices have fallen by 6 percent since the beginning of 2015 due to a slowdown in the diamond market.