Loss-Making Greenland Ruby Closes Mine
September 13, 23
(IDEX Online) - Greenland's only ruby mine has closed, after reportedly running up $74m of debts.
Greenland Ruby, which started production of rubies and pink sapphire mining in 2017, has laid off its remaining staff and put the mine, at Aappaluttoq, in the southwest of the country, on care and maintenance.
The company, owned by Norway-based LNS Group, originally predicted a 10-year life for the deposit.
In April 2021, US-based Nebari Natural Resources Credit Fund said it would be investing $18m of working capital to keep the mine going.
The Danish-language news website Sermitsiaq said Greenland Ruby had very large stock of rubies in Thailand, but sales during 2022 had been "very low".
At the end of 2022 it had a negative equity of DKK509m ($73m) and a total debt of DKK513m ($74m), it said.
Greenland Ruby says it is exploring two other sites in the country.
Pic courtesy Greenland Ruby