Norilsk Nickel signs joint operations plan with Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Usage

MMC Norilsk Nickel (hereinafter – MMC Norilsk Nickel or the Company) informs that Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, General Director and Chairman of the Management Board of MMC Norilsk Nickel, and Vladimir Kirillov, Head of Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Usage, signed Joint Operations Plan for 2011.

The plan was created as part of the Agreement of Cooperation in Reduction of Negative Impact of Pollutants Emissions in Norilsk between Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Usage and MMC Norilsk Nickel.

Under the plan the Company shall submit quarterly reports on execution of the measures, included into the Agreement; the Federal Service representatives shall monitor the fulfillment of the Agreement by visiting the Company’s Polar Division facilities; and the parties shall hold round table/seminar dedicated to the ecological aspects of MMC Norilsk Nickel activities.

Following its Environmental Policy, the Company takes measures (on the annual basis) aimed at gradual reduction of pollutants emissions into the atmosphere, and reductions of waste water discharge into surrounding water bodies. The aggregate expenses of the Company for environmental protection in 2010 were increased to RUB 14,018.1 million (+ 19.6% as compared with 2009), including RUB 1,997.6 million spent for nature protection measures.

Among other results of the said measures, the SO2 emissions by Polar Division decreased by 36,580 tons in comparison with 2009, and aggregate waste water discharge decreased by 2,000 tons.

MMC Norilsk Nickel, fulfilling its obligations on decreasing the atmospheric emissions, posted an international tender for the contractor, which shall implement state-of the art SO2 recovery technologies. These shall provide for recovery of at least 95% of SO2 from waste gases at metallurgical production facilities.

ABOUT MMC NORILSK NICKEL:

MMC Norilsk Nickel, a company incorporated under the laws of the Russian Federation, is the largest diversified mining and metals company in Russia, the world's largest producer of nickel and palladium and one of the world's largest producers of platinum, rhodium, copper and cobalt. In addition to this, MMC Norilsk Nickel produces a large number of other by-products, including gold, silver, tellurium, selenium, iridium and ruthenium.

The key production units of the Company’s group in Russia are at the Polar and Kola Peninsulas. MMC Norilsk Nickel international assets include operations in Finland, Australia, Botswana and South Africa.

MMC Norilsk Nickel’s shares are traded at MICEX and RTS. ADR’s on the Company’s shares are traded on the other the counter market in the US and at the London and Berlin stock exchanges.