Rio Tinto's Diavik Mine Slides into the Red
July 31, 24
(IDEX Online) - Rio Tinto today (31 July) reported a slump in half-yearly sales and production as its Diavik diamond mine in Canada slid into the red.
The Australian mining giant reported a 15 per cent increase in overall profits across all divisions to $5.8bn for the six months to 30 June, but its diamond operation suffered a $65m loss. During the same six months of 2023 it made a $44m profit.
The Half Year Results made passing mention of "lower volumes" of diamonds, but chief executive Jakob Stausholm offered no explanation.
Revenue from diamond sales was down 40 per cent during H1, from $250m to $149m. Production fell 25 per cent, from 1.924m carats to 1.441m carats.
Earlier this month the company said production at Diavik had fallen by by 28 per cent during Q2, impacted by the transition to underground operations and the plane crash in January that killed four of its workers and two crew members. A chartered Jetstream twin turboprop airliner crashed shortly after take-off from Fort Smith Airport.
Pic courtesy Rio Tinto shows Diavik mine.