Alrosa Mulls Re-opening of Mir, after 2017 Tragedy
August 18, 21
(IDEX Online) - The Mir mine, closed in 2017 after a flooding accident that claimed eight lives, could re-open.
Sergey Takhiev, head of Alrosa's corporate finance department, says a decision on its future will be taken in the coming months.
"Alrosa can decide whether to rebuild its underground Mir mine halted due to the accident in 2017 in late 2021 - early 2022," he said yesterday.
Eight miners died after water leaked into a shaft at the underground mine in Mirny, eastern Siberia, in August 2017. Another 143 people were brought to safety.
The mine has been closed ever since, although last January Alrosa announced that it had started test drilling with a view to resuming operations at a kimberlite pipe 1,200 to 1,600 meters below the surface.
Mr Takhiev told the Russian news agency TASS that operations would not begin again if there was any risk of a repeat tragedy.
He also said that even if they did decide to go ahead, it would be 2031-2 before the first ore was processed.
Mir was producing 3.8m carats a year before the accident and has reserves estimated at 68.6m carats. Resuming operations could add up to 25 per cent to Alrosa's earnings (EBITDA).
Pic courtesy Yakutia's Rescue Service shows team at the mine