Russia: nickel mine production 2006-2023

The annual amount of nickel mined in Russia was estimated at 200 thousand metric tons in 2023, marking a decrease compared to the previous year. Between 2017 and 2018, nickel production across the country increased by nearly 60 thousand metric tons. 

Nickel industry in Russia

With 8.3 million metric tons of nickel reserves, Russia was the fourth-richest country in that metal. Furthermore, Russia is the fourth-largest producer of nickel from mines, following Indonesia, the Philippines, and New Caledonia. In 2021, the value of nickel and articles thereof exported from Russia reached two billion U.S. dollars, having decreased by roughly one-third from the previous year.

Nornickel – Russia's largest nickel producer

The largest nickel-producing company in Russia is Nornickel, also known as Norilsk Nickel. The company produced approximately 145.8 thousand metric tons of nickel in 2021. Nornickel owns nickel reserves on the Taymyr Peninsula in Siberia and the Kola Peninsula in Northwest Russia. Furthermore, the company has a nickel refinery plant in Finland and co-owns a nickel production site in South Africa. The total revenue of Nornickel, which also produced other metals such as palladium and copper, neared 14.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.