According to AIF-Magadan, over 28 tons of “conditional gold” have been mined in the region in 2003, including 22 tons of real gold. The volume of gold mining in the region is decreasing due to weather, exhausted conditions of deposits. Moreover, the procedure of licences obtaining is very much complicated. In 2004 the system of licences giving will be made simpler.

By the next spring Norilsk Nickel plans to have formed technological and stock structure named Golden Company, which will have all the gold mining assets of Norilsk Nickel: CJSC Polus, 50,6 % of the Matrosov’s mine and 65, 87 % of Lena Gold Company.