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Norilsk Nickel to restore production in flooded mines within 3-4 months

The company has also revised downward the forecast of nickel production by 35,000 tonnes, copper production by 65,000 tonnes, and platinum group metals production by 22 tonnes

MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Norilsk Nickel plans to completely restore production in Oktyabrsky and Taimyrsky mines, where water inflow occurred before, within three - four months, the Russian mining and metals company says on Tuesday.

"Norilsk Nickel plans to completely restore production in Oktyabrsky and Taimyrsky mines within 3-4 months. The Norilsk Division of the company presented a plan, whereby it is expected in the base case that Oktyabrsky mine (production - 5.0 mln tonnes of ore per year) will gradually restore the output in the second half of April - May. Production recovery is intended to restart in Taimyrsky mine (4.3 mln tonnes of ore per year) in early June. Its complete recovery will take about one month," the company reports.

Norilsk Nickel also intends to restore the impregnation ore processing chain at the Norilsk Concentration Plant after the occurred accident by April 15.

The company has also revised downward the forecast of nickel production by 35,000 tonnes, copper production by 65,000 tonnes, and platinum group metals production by 22 tonnes.

Norilsk Nickel has partly suspended operations of Oktyabrsky and Taimyrsky mines because of natural groundwater inflow, the Russian mining and metals company reported earlier.

On February 20, a crushing shop gallery at the Norilsk Concentration Plant partly collapsed. Three individuals died and five more were injured. The collapse area was 1,000 square meters.