Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant Reports 14.1 % production increase for 4Q 2009

Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant (LSE, RTS, MICEX: CHZN), Russia’s largest producer of zinc and zinc alloys, is pleased to announce its production results for the twelve months of 2009. October through December 2009, Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant (CZP) produced 36.7 thousand tonnes of salable SHG zinc and zinc based alloys, an increase of 14.1 % as compared to the third quarter of 2009 (31.5 thousand tonnes).
January through December 2009, Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant (CZP) produced 119.9 thousand tonnes of salable SHG zinc and zinc based alloys, a decrease of 20 % as compared to the same period of 2008
(150 thousand tonnes). 64 % of metal was supplied to the domestic market.

CZP’s subsidiary, Nova Zinc LLC, operator of Akzhal zinc and lead ore mine in Kazakhstan, processed 1,192.7 thousand tones of ore in January - December of 2009, 10.4 % less than for the
same period of 2008 (1,330.5 thousand tonnes). Average zinc content in the ore for the period was 3.21 % with average lead content of 0.42%, compared to 2.67% and 0.54% respectively a year ago.

Production of zinc in zinc concentrate for the twelve months of 2009 increased of 7.6 % to 34,803 tonnes over the prior year result of the same period of 32,348 tonnes. Lead in lead concentrate
production decreased of 30.5 % to 3,994 tonnes (vs. 5,747 in 2008).

CZP’s subsidiary, The Brock Metal Company Limited (the leading UK supplier of zinc die-casting alloys) sold 22,180 tonnes of products January through December 2009, 12.9 % less than for the same period of 2008 (25,470 tonnes).