Aikhal (means ‘fame’) is one of the biggest diamond mine in the world. It is in Yakutia, in the far east of Russia. The owner of this mine is one of the biggest mining companies in the world, Alrosa.
ALROSA Group is a Russian partially state-owned diamond mining company. It accounts for a third of global rough diamond production. Aikhal started as an open pit from 1961 to 1997 and is from 2005 an underground mine with a depth of up to 200 meters and they are still going deeper. The annual production of the mine lies around 1.3 million carats and has reserves up to 40/50 million carats(Top 10 Largest Diamond Mines Worldwide by Carat Output, n.d.).
The expansion project by Alrosa will allow the mine, which comprises the Jubilee, Aikhal, Komsomolskaya and Zaria pipes, to maintain an annual output of 500,000 tonnes of ore by 2044.
“The project is attractive in that, in fact, it does not require any major re-equipment or much new infrastructure,” Evgeny Denisov, director of the Aikhal Mining and Processing Division, told ECOticias, the environmental news platform.
How does a major diamond mine maintain its colossal output amidst the permafrost and extreme cold of the Siberian Arctic? The Aikhal Mine defies limits! What technological or logistical feat do you think is most critical for success in such an unforgiving climate? Let’s discuss!
