Russian gold production rose 11.2% last year

Russian gold production rose 11.2 per cent year-on-year in 2009 to 205.2 tonnes in line with expectations, the Russian Gold Industrialists' Union said yesterday.

The union has earlier expected output to reach 205 tonnes last year after the launch of large projects in the country's far east.

Output from deep mines and from placers – alluvial deposits – rose by 8.8 per cent last year to 178.3 tonnes from 2008 volumes.

The union attributed the latest increase primarily to the launch of production at Kinross Gold's Kupol mine and the Karalveyem mine in Chukotka region.

Output of gold produced as a by-product of other metals rose 16.8 per cent to 14.5 tonnes in 2009, while output achieved by refining gold from scrap rose 52.4 per cent to 12.4 tonnes.

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