Severalmaz, the regional subsidiary of Alrosa, will this month launch its second development phase at the great Lomonosov diamond deposit in Arkhangelsk Oblast, consequently boosting capacity.
According to the company, the new processing plant will enable it to increase production from today’s 630 thousand carat per year to 4,3 million carat in 2019, newspaper Business Class reports.
The production increase will significantly heighten the importance of Severalmaz in the Alrosa Group, company Director Sergey Gerasimov says. With the new plant, Severalmaz will account for as much as ten percent of Alrosa’s accumulated production. The company has invested about $325 million in the new facilities.
As previously reported, production at the Lomonosov field was started in 2005. Mining is conducted from an open pit.
Severalmaz is one of two companies engaging in diamond production in Arkhangelsk Oblast. Also Arkhangelskgeoldobycha, a Lukoil subsidiary, is engaging in extraction. The company is expected to start selling diamonds from its Gleb deposit starting 2013.
