MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. Palladium production gained 2% in the first quarter of 2023 year on year and totaled 721,000 Troy ounces, Norilsk Nickel said on Friday.

Platinum production surged by 11% to 180,000 Troy ounces in the first quarter of this year. Copper output rose by 19% to 109,000 metric tons.

Nickel production plunged by 9% annually to 47,000 in the first quarter of 2023 in view of scheduled turnarounds.

"In 1Q 2023, we increased the output of copper and PGMs [platinum group metals - TASS] compared to the same period of last year. The temporary decrease in nickel production was scheduled due to short-term repairs of furnaces at Nadezhda Smelter and a grinding mill at Talnakh Concentrator," Senior Vice President of Norilsk Nickel Sergey Stepanov said in a comment.

The top manager noted "significant improvement of the quality of our nickel cathodes produced in Kola Division due to the improvement of operational efficiency."

"The content of cobalt and copper and zinc impurities in nickel cathodes decreased by almost 40% and 50%, respectively, compared to the previous year levels," Stepanov added.