This program, which began in 2008, aims to identify long-term gold and silver resources for the Company’s new production assets in the Khabarovsk Territory, the Albazino and Amursk plants. The new regional program will investigate a series of ore clusters and other prospective areas located between the Amur and Amgun rivers.

The Company began to create a portfolio of licensed sections for this regional program in H2 2008. Requests for licensed subsoil sections at Vostochny, Kherpuchinsky, Uchaminsky and other areas have been submitted.

In January 2009, a license for the geological surveying, exploration and mining of the gold vein within the Agnie-Afanasievsky prospective area was acquired (441 km2). Exploration and reconnaissance of the ore cluster’s grade will start in 2009.