Rio Tinto reported a production of 3.2 million carats from its Argyle mine in Australia for the second quarter of this year. This is an eight percent drop from the second quarter production in 2016. The share of production from the Diavik mine in Canada, in which Rio Tinto holds a 60 percent stake, was 1.1 million carats for the second quarter, an 18 percent increase in a year-on-year comparison.
Argyle production for the first half of the year, at 6.2 million carats, was nine percent lower than the first half of 2016, while the 2.3 million carats that were its share of the production for the period from Diavik represented an eight percent increase over the first half of 2016.
The miner said Argyle production had dropped due to lower ore volumes processed following wet weather and additional maintenance required in the second quarter of this year. The increase at Diavik it attributed to both higher processed volumes and higher recovered grades. The company said that development of the A21 pipe remains on schedule.
The company said its diamond production guidance for 2017 remains unchanged at 19 to 24 million carats.
https://www.gemkonnect.com/news/argyle-h1-rough-diamond-output-drops-while-diavik-rises