Rio Tinto’s diamond production at Argyle dips 8% in Q2

Diamond production guidance for 2017 stands at 19 to 24 million carats
Rio Tinto’s diamond production at Argyle dips 8% in Q2

Rio Tinto has announced its production results for the second quarter of 2017. Speaking about the company’s overall production performance, Rio Tinto chief executive J-S Jacques said “We believe our focus on capital discipline, maximising cash flow from operations, driving productivity and portfolio shaping will continue to support the delivery of strong cash generation and shareholder returns.”

Diamond production at Argyle during the said period dipped 8 percent to 3.2 million carats as compared to the second quarter of 2016. The mining giant attributed this to the lower ore volumes processed following wet weather and additional maintenance required in the second quarter of this year. In the first six months of the year, diamond production dipped 9 percent to 6.2 million carats.

At Diavik, carats recovered were 18 percent higher (reaching 1.1 million carats) than the corresponding period in 2016 due to both higher processed volumes and higher recovered grades. Development of the A21 pipe remains on schedule. In the first half of the year diamond production stood at 2.2 million carats or 8 percent higher on y-o-y basis.

Diamond production guidance for 2017 remains unchanged at 19 to 24 million carats.


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