OREANDA-NEWS. ALROSA reports Q4 and 12M 2014 production results and preliminary sales results.

Production results

ALROSA’s Q4 2014 diamond production totalled 10.56 million carats, which is 8% higher compared to Q3 2014. The production increase was driven by the completion of planned maintenance at processing plants, which process ore from the International, Aikhal and Mir underground mines. The Company highlights the progress in key investment projects in Q4 2014:

- first 89 thousand tonnes of ore from the Udachny underground mine (commissioned earlier in 2014) were processed, diamond production totalled 114 thousand carats,

- first 516 thousand tonnes of ore from the Karpinskogo-1 pipe of the Lomonosov deposit (under development by Severalmaz) were processed, diamond production totalled 266 thousand carats.

In 2014 diamond production totalled 36.21 million carats and exceeded the initial Company’s initial plan by 210 thousand carats.

Preliminary sales results

According to preliminary data, in 2014 ALROSA sold 39.57 million carats of diamonds, including 27.74 million carats of gem-quality diamonds at an average price of \$171 per carat, and 11.83 million carats of industrial diamonds at an average price of \$12 per carat. Revenue from diamond sales in 2014 reached no less than \$5.05 billion, including revenue from rough diamond sales - no less than \$4.90 billion.

In Q4 2014, ALROSA sold 10.79 million carats of diamonds, including 6.85 million carats of gem-quality diamonds at an average price of \$161 per carat, and 3.94 million carats of industrial diamonds at an average price of \$11 per carat.

The Company notes ALROSA’s rough diamond prices going up by around 7% since the beginning of the year.

2015 guidance

In 2015, the Company plans its diamond production to be at the level of 38 million carats, diamond sales at the level of 40 million carats, including sales of inventories of around 2 million carats.

The Company expects moderate growth of the diamond market in 2015 driven by positive macroeconomic indicators dynamic in major diamond jewellery consuming countries.