Norilsk Nickel Decides To Pay No Dividends For 2000

Shareholders of the Mining and Smelting Company Norilsk Nickel made a decision in favor of minor shareholders today. The company's press service reported that a general meeting of shareholders on April 24, 2001 decided to pay no dividends for 2000 because the restructuring of Norilsk Nickel continues and not all minor shareholders (individuals and companies, including foreign enterprises) have exchanged their shares in the Russian joint-stock Norilsk Nickel into shares in the Mining and Smelting Company Norilsk Nickel. In addition, the general meeting approved an annual report for 2000. According to data from the report, sales revenues of Norilsk Nickel amounted to 116.3bn rubles ($4.03bn) in 2000, which is twice as much as in 1999. Profits of the company reached 73.6bn rubles ($2.55bn). This is also 100 per cent higher than in 1999. The total sum of capital investments reached 8.2bn rubles ($284m).