Rio Tinto’s Diavik diamond mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories has moved into commercial production at its A21 underground operation, which was developed beneath the previously mined A21 open pit.
The construction of the underground mine involved the development of over 1,800 meters of underground tunnels to access the orebody. With safety as the core focus, the miner noted that there were no lost-time injuries over the 20 months of development and construction work.
The A21 underground project will enable Diavik to maximize the value from its known resources through to an expected mine closure in early 2026. This first phase of underground mining is projected to deliver an additional 1.4 million carats of rough diamonds. Phase 2, which was approved earlier this year with an additional investment of US$17 million, is expected to deliver 0.8 million carats.
Diavik has produced more than 144 million carats of rough diamonds since mining began in 2003.
Source: Rio Tinto