Diavik Diamond Mine Reaches 6.5 million Carats in Production
The Diavik Diamond Mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories reached 6.5 million carats in production, Rio Tinto reported in the mine’s 2010 socio-economic monitoring report. Output was 17 percent above the total in 2009.Diavik is owned by Rio Tinto 60 percent, while Harry Winston Diamond Corporation holds the remaining.
During 2010, an average 561 people from the Northwest Territories were employed at the mine, representing 62 percent of the total. An average 269 employees, or 30 percent of the total workforce, were of aboriginal descent. These ratios were lower than previous years due to the need for skilled labor for the Diavik underground operation.
“Hiring for the underground operation commenced in early 2010," Rio Tinto explained. “As expected, access to skilled underground labor in the North has proven problematic and due to this shortage, southern labor has been recruited.”
Production and processing of initial kimberlite ore mined from Diavik’s new underground mine launched in February 2010 extending the current life of mine beyond 2020. Open pit mining is expected to stop in 2012, when Diavik is expected to become an all-underground mine.
By: JewelryOurs
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