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Rough diamonds. Alrosa's resources for 2011 stood at 30 million carats

Russia’s state-owned diamond producer, Alrosa, has reported diamond reserves of 30 million carats for 2011, according to a summary of last week’s executive committee meeting published on the Alrosa website.

 

The committee discussed implementation of Alrosa’s exploration program up to 2018 and the results of exploration in 2011. Alrosa’s expenditures on diamond exploration and onsite exploration in 2011 amounted to approximately $132 billion; in 2012 it plans to allocate over $177 billion for these purposes.

 

The company’s reserves are projected to reach some 47 million carats, mainly as a result of exploration of the Nyurbinskaya placer and upper levels of the Zarya pipe. In 2011, Alrosa obtained licenses to explore and mine five new diamond deposits (Verkhne-Munskoye, the pipes Dalnyaya, Mayskaya, the alluvial mines Ebelyakh and Gusinaya) and commenced the projects.