OREANDA-NEWS. On February 03, 2009 at its meeting, the Board of Directors of OJSC Polyus Gold (RTS, MICEX and LSE – PLZL) reviewed the preliminary 2008 operating results of OJSC Polyus Gold and the business plan for 2009, reported the press-centre of Polyus Gold.
 
The Board of Directors acknowledged the preliminary 2008 operating results. “All major targets set for the Company have been achieved or exceeded. All business units of Polyus Group have shown a stable performance”, OJSC Polyus Gold General Director Evgueny Ivanov stated. Evgueny Ivanov was especially pleased with the performance of CJSC Polyus. “Olimpiada mine increased its output in 2008 despite challenges it had to face in the transition to harder sulphide ores”, he said.

The Board of Directors discussed and approved the Company Business Plan for 2009. The Business Plan provides for the investment program totaling 8.4 billion rubles, of which 1.4 billion rubles will be allocated to geological exploration and 7 billion rubles to the development of existing deposits and construction of new gold mining enterprisers.

The Board of Directors at today’s meeting instructed the Company Management to explore the desirability and possibility of a buy-back of the Company’s shares in the amount of up to 250 million U.S. dollars and to submit the issue for consideration by the Board of Directors within the next three weeks.

The decision to effect the buyback of the Company’s shares is still pending and there can be no assurance that the Board of Directors will approve any such buyback or, if the buyback is approved, what the timing, price and other terms of such buyback will be.

OJSC Polyus Gold is Russia’s leading gold producer and one of the world’s largest gold companies in terms of market capitalization, minerals base and output. The Company’s asset portfolio includes ore and alluvial deposits in Krasnoyarsk Territory, Irkutsk, Magadan and Amur Oblasts and Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Gold production of OJSC Polyus Gold totaled 1,222m oz in 2008.