OREANDA-NEWS. December 13, 2011. MMC Norilsk Nickel (the Company or the Group) announces that the Company will develop its mineral resource base program within the framework of the Technical and Operational Development Strategy till 2025, approved by the Board of Directors on October 27 2011, reported the press-centre of Norilsk Nickel.

The total investment into the development of the Company’s mineral resource base including development of the existing mining assets and construction and commissioning of new mines will reach USD10.9 billion.

The Company has a unique resource base in terms of volume and quality in the existing assets of the Polar Division and Kola MMC (Kola MMC is the subsidiary of MMC Norilsk Nickel).

Implementation of exploration program within the Strategy’s framework will result in reserves growth across all of the ore types, which will surpass their corresponding production volume till 2025.

Key long-term objectives include reserve growth across all ore types at existing deposits, additional exploration and launch of new deposits as well as search for prospective areas in close proximity to existing fields.

The planned total investment in exploration in Norilsk and Murmansk regions till 2025 is USD 632 million.

Total expected reserves growth across all ore types in Norilsk Industrial Region with exploration works until 2025 taken into account will total 670 million tons, including Ni - 4.87 mln tons, Cu – 9.46 mln tons and PMG – 5.08 thousand tons.

By 2025 the expected growth of ore reserves in Kola Peninsula will reach 70 million tons including Ni – 0.75 mln tons and Cu – 0,34 mln tons.