Rio Tinto Opens New Pipe at Diavik Mine
August 23, 2018Rio Tinto Opens New Pipe at Diavik Mine
Rio Tinto opened a fourth diamond pipe, known as A21, at the subarctic Diavik Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories of Canada, TheDiamondLoupe announced in a press release. The A21 first ore was delivered in March and the pit is expected to be at full production during the fourth quarter of 2018, following a four-year construction period. Rio Tinto Copper & Diamonds chief executive Arnaud Soirat said that “This investment to sustain production levels at Diavik reflects the strong outlook we see for the diamond industry.”
The Diavik Diamond Mine began production in 2003 and has been a fully underground mining operation since 2012. The mine produces predominantly gem quality diamonds destined for high end jewellery in all major consumer markets around the world. Total production surpassed 100 million carats in May 2016. The mine produced 2.2 million carats in the first half of 2018 and is expected to be in production until 2025.
Source: The Diamond Loupe