Norilsk Nickel posts higher nickel production in Q1

Norilsk Nickel increased nickel production by 1.7 percent to 61,000 tonnes in the first quarter of 2007, the Russian mining giant's press office reported according to RBC. In this period the company's enterprises produced 101,000 tonnes of copper (down 7.34 percent), 716,000 ounces of palladium (down 7.16 percent), and 169,000 ounces of platinum (down 8.15 percent).

Following the acquisition of OM Group's nickel business, which was completed on March 1, 2007, the projected nickel production at Norilsk Nickel's own facilities has been raised from 240,000-245,000 tonnes to 270,000-275,000 tonnes in 2007. The projections for copper, palladium, and platinum output have remained unchanged.