MOSCOW, March 28 (Reuters) - Russia's largest gold miningcompany Polyus Gold announced delays to its Natalkadevelopment project on Thursday, indicating possible slowerproduction growth in Russia, the world's fourth-largest goldproducer.
Natalka, a large mine in Russia's Far East, is now expectedto begin full operations in summer 2014 afterslower-than-expected winter construction, Polyus said. It hadpreviously planned to begin production by the end of this year.
Increased output by Russia could see it surpass the UnitedStates as the world's third-largest gold miner by 2015, theRussian Gold Industrialists' Union said previously.
The country's gold production is likely to rise by 3.5percent in 2013 to 233.8 tonnes (7.52 million troy ounces),according to the Union's forecast.
Following is a list of planned expansions by the country'slargest gold producers:
POLYUS GOLD
Main owner: Suleiman Kerimov.
2012 output: 1.68 million ounces (+12 pct vs 2011).
2013 forecast: 1.59-1.68 million ounces.
Long-term forecast: 2.8 million ounces in 2016.
Operating mines: Olimpiada, Blagodatnoye, Titimukhta (all inKrasnoyarsk region), Kuranakh (Yakutia Republic), Verninskoye(in Irkutsk region), alluvial deposits (also in Irkutsk).
Development projects include: Natalka (Magadan region).
PETROPAVLOVSK
2012 output: 710,400 ounces (+13 pct vs 2011).
2013 forecast: 760,000-780,000 ounces.
Operating mines: Pioneer, Malomir, Pokrovskiy, and Albyn(all in Amur region).
Development projects include: Novogodnee-Monto (Yamaldistrict), Visokoe (Krasnoyarsk region).
POLYMETAL
Polymetal is also Russia's largest silver miner.
Main owners: Alexander Nesis, Alexander Mamut and Czechfinancial group PPF.
2012 output: 1.06 million ounces of gold equivalent (+31 pctvs 2011), including 589,000 ounces of gold.
2013 forecast: 1.2 million ounces of gold equivalent.
Long-term forecast: 1.4 million ounces of gold equivalent in2014.
Operating mines include: Dukat and Omolon (both in Magadanregion), Vorontsovskoye (Sverdlovsk region), Khakanja andAlbazino (both in Khabarovsk).
Development projects include: Mayskoye (Chukotka region).
KINROSS GOLD CORP
2012 output (including non-Russian assets): 2.6 million goldequivalent ounces. In 2012 its Russian Kupol mine decreasedproduction by 11.5 percent to 578,252 gold equivalent ounces.
2013 forecast (including non-Russian assets): 2.4-2.6million gold equivalent ounces. Forecast for Russia is505,000-535,000 gold equivalent ounces.
Operating mines in Russia: Kupol (Chukotka region).
Development projects in Russia include: Dvoinoye deposit andVodorazdelnaya property (both in Chukotka region).
NORD GOLD
Main owner: Alexey Mordashov
2012 output (including non-Russian assets): 716,900 goldequivalent ounces (-5 pct vs 2011).
2013 forecast (including non-Russian assets):770,000-850,000 gold equivalent ounces.
Operating mines in Russia include: Irokinda and Zun-Holba(both in Buryatia republic), Berezitovy (Amur region), Neryungri(Yakutia), Aprelkovo (Zabaikalsk region).
Development projects in Russia include: Gross (Yakutia).
HIGHLAND GOLD MINING
Main owners: Millhouse LLC (the investment vehicle of RomanAbramovich).
2012 output: 216,885 ounces of gold and gold equivalentounces (+18 pct vs 2011).
2013 forecast: 225,000-240,000 ounces.
Operating mines: Mnogovershinnoye (Khabarovsk),Novoshirokinskoye (Zabaikalsk region).
Development projects include: Taseevskoye (Zabaikalsk),Belaya Gora (Khabarovsk, the name of which translates as WhiteMountain).
YUZHURALZOLOTO (UGOLD)
Unlisted. The name translates as South Urals Gold. Thecompany previously planned an IPO , but is not going to list itsshares this year.
2012 output: 209.000 ounces (+27 pct vs 2011).
2013 output: "slightly more than in 2012", the company said.
Operating mines include: Svetlinskoye, Bereznyakovskoye,Kochkarskoye, West Kurasan, South Kurasan (all Chelyabinskregion), Priisk Drazhny (Krasnoyarsk), Kommunarovsky (Khakassiyarepublic).
GV GOLD
Unlisted. Planned IPO before the financial crisis in 2008.
2012 output: 168,100 ounces (+18.6 pct vs 2011).
2013 forecast: 192,900 ounces.
Long-term forecast: 321,000 ounces by 2017.
Operating mines: Golets Vysochaishy (Irkutsk region) andBolshoy Kuranakh (Yakutia region).
SOVRUDNIK
Unlisted.
2012 output: 129,000 ounces (+15.8 pct vs 2011).
2013 forecast: n/a.
SUSUMANZOLOTO
2012 output: 114,400 ounces (+8.7 pct vs 2011).
2013 forecast: n/a.
SELIGDAR
2012 output: 95,700 ounces (-1,6 pct vs 2011).
2013 forecast: 106,000 ounces.
Long-term forecast: 203,500 ounces by 2016.
Source: company documents, Reuters data, data of RussianGold Industrialists' Union. (Compiled by Andrey Kuzmin and Polina Devitt, Editing byAlessandra Prentice and Alison Birrane)
