Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant Reports 14.6% production increase in Q1 2007

Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant is pleased to announce its production results for the first half of 2007.
January to June 2007, Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant produced 80,385 tonnes of SHG zinc and zinc based alloys, an increase of 14.6% as compared to the first half of 2006 (70,139 tonnes). 49% of the plant output was supplied to the domestic market.
CZP’s subsidiary, Nova Zinc LLC, the operator of Akzhal zinc and lead ore mine in Kazakhstan, processed 649,155 tonnes of ore in the first half of 2007, 7.9% more than for the same period of 2006 (601,430 tonnes). The average zinc content in the ore for the first six months of 2007 was 2.7% with the average lead content of 0.59%, compared to 2.96% and 0.72% respectively a year ago. Production of zinc concentrate of 29,725 tonnes for the first half represented a 0.8% increase over the prior year (29,495 tonnes). Lead concentrate production decreased by 12.1% to 4,701 tonnes (vs. 5,348 tonnes in the first half of 2006).
“Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant is on course to meeting its year end production expectations of 165,000 tonnes of SHG zinc and zinc-based alloys,” commented Sergei Moiseyev, Chairman of the Board.