MMC Norilsk Nickel announces preliminary consolidated production results for 3rd quarter and 9 months 201

MMC Norilsk Nickel, JSC, the world’s largest nickel and palladium producer, announced preliminary consolidated production results for the third quarter and 9 months 2011 at the Polar and Kola Divisions in Russia, as well as at its international operations in Australia, Finland, Botswana and South Africa.
• Overall nickel production in the third quarter of 2011 surpassed 79 thousand metric tons, which is by 23% higher as compared to the second quarter of 2011. Substantial growth of nickel output was driven by reopening of sea navigation and related recovery in volumes of semi-products shipped between Russian production units, as well as by increased loading rates at the nickel refinery – Norilsk Nickel Hajavalta. For 9 months of 2011, Group’s nickel production totaled 215 thousand metric tons.

• Overall copper production in the third quarter of 2011 totaled 95 thousand metric tons as compared to 90 thousand metric tons in the second quarter of 2011. The bulk of the growth of copper output is due to strong performance of Russian divisions of the Group. For 9 months of 2011, the overall copper output amounted to 279 thousand metric tons.

• In the reporting quarter, the Company produced 677 thousand troy ounces of palladium. The production results of this quarter were impacted by the substantial overproduction by Russian divisions in the second quarter of 2011, as well as by certain decline of palladium output at international operations of the Group. For 9 months of 2011, the palladium output exceeded
2.1 million troy ounces.

• The Group produced 171 thousand troy ounces of platinum in the third quarter of 2011, generally in line with the approved production plan. The key reason for minor platinum output decline in the third quarter of 2011 is the same as for palladium. For 9 months of 2011, the platinum production reached 531 thousand troy ounces, matching the results of the same period of 2010.

In the third quarter of 2011, the Polar and Kola Divisions in Russia produced over 62 thousand metric tons of nickel, which is 17% higher as compared to the second quarter of 2011. In the reporting quarter, the Russian production units operated at full capacity and managed to eliminate certain underperformance of the second quarter of 2011, which was due to earlier seasonal break in sea navigation. For 9 months of 2011, the saleable nickel production totaled 173 thousand metric tons, largely in line with the approved production plan.