PJSC Polyus announced that it has successfully completed the expansion of the Verninskoye Mill's throughput capacity. The project, which was launched in the fourth quarter of 2019, has been completed ahead of its initial schedule (the second half of 2021). The Mill has now achieved its target hourly throughput rate of 450 t/h and is currently running at an annualized capacity of 3.5 million tonnes. This upgrade is expected to provide additional 40 thousand ounces of incremental gold volumes at Verninskoye. Capital expenditures for the project amounted to ca. $60 million, in line with the initial budget. The company has completed a number of initiatives to upgrade the crushing and grinding circuit at Verninskoye. This included the installation of an additional crushing circuit comprising of a ball mill and two vibrating screens in the extension of the main building. An additional cone crusher and screens were installed to reduce recirculation and increase the throughput capacity of the existing SAG mill. The gravity concentration circuit was equipped with additional centrifugal concentrators and a hydrocyclone unit which were also installed in the main building extension. As part of the project, the company implemented a number of initiatives aimed at improving recoveries, including the installation of an additional reactivation kiln in the main building extension, as well as installation of an additional centrifugal concentrator in the main building. This resulted in the recovery rate at Verninskoye reaching ca. 90% in February 2021.