Russian gold mine production expected to grow 3% in 2012
MOSCOW. March 27 (Interfax) - Gold mine production in Russia could increase by 6.252 tonnes 3.3% to 195 tonnes in 2012, the Union of Gold Producers forecasts.
Production at primary deposits is expected to increase by 8.943 tonnes or 6.8% to 140 tonnes, while production at alluvial deposits is forecast to drop by 2.691 tonnes or 4.7% to 55 tonnes, the union said.
The country is also expected to produce 15 tonnes of associated gold and 8 tonnes of secondary gold. Overall gold production is therefore forecast at 218 tonnes.
The growth of production at primary deposits is expected to be driven by the Verninsky mine and other operations of Polyus Gold International/OJSC Polyus Gold (by 3-3.5 tonnes); Polymetal International/OJSC Polymetal's Omolon gold recovery plant reached design capacity; and the first phase of the Petropavlovsk group's Albyn mine with annual capacity of 4 tonnes of gold in the Amur Region.
Production is also grow thanks to the second phase of a third gold recovery plant at OJSC's Vysochaishy's Golets Vysochaishy operation in Irkutsk Region, which will boost processing capacity to 5 million tonnes of ore per year; new facilities at the Podgolechnoye, Lunnoye and other deposits of OJSC Seligdar in Yakutia; and Trans-Siberian Gold's Asachinsk mine in Kamchatka reaching design capacity.
Production is forecast to decline at Kinross' Kupol mine in Chukotka, and at placers.
Revised figures from the union show that gold production in Russia totalled 211.1 tonnes in 2011. Mine production grew 6% to 188.8 tonnes, with primary production up 5.6% to 131.1 tonnes and alluvial output up 8.7% to 57.7 tonnes. Production of associated and secondary gold amounted to 14.5 tonnes and 7.9 tonnes, respectively.