MOSCOW, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed into
law a bill abolishing state firm Almazjuvelirexport's monopoly on exporting
platinum group metals (PGM), the Kremlin press office said on Friday. 
       Previously, all PGM producers and stock holders, including No.1 palladium
miner Norilsk Nickel, the central bank, and state precious metals and gems
repository Gokhran had to export the metals through Almazjuvelirexport for a
fee. 
       The government has said the move was needed as part of the process of
liberalising Russia's previously secret PGM market. 
       The bill took about four years to pass through both chambers of
parliament. 
       "There are going to be no changes in Norilsk's sales after the
abolishment of the intermediary, as PGMs are well incorporated into our precious
and base metals sales structure," Norilsk spokeswoman Maria Uvarova said. 
       Almost all of Russia's platinum group metals are supplied by three mining
companies and from state reserves. Before 2005, all data on PGMs was considered
a state secret. 
       Norilsk accounts for 46.3 percent of the world's palladium market and 12
percent of the market for sister metal platinum. 
       Norilsk sees its output this year of palladium at 2.610-2.625 million
ounces and platinum at 710,000-720,000 ounces. The company does not disclose
data on other PGMs, which it produces as a byproduct of nickel and copper. 
       Other smaller producers of platinum include Amur, based in the
far-eastern Russian city of Khabarovsk, and Koryakgeoldobycha, which mines
platinum on the Kamchatka peninsula and the Koryak autonomous region in the
Russian Far East. 
       State platinum group metal stocks remain a state secret. Nearly all PGMs
in state stocks are believed to have been produced by Norilsk. 
       Until early 2007, PGMs could be exported within government-issued quotas.
Since then quotas have been abolished, and producers and the state have not been
restricted in the quantity they can export. But they still have to obtain export
licences from the government. 
       Norilsk did not have licences for platinum and rhodium between January
and the end of April of 2007, halting its exports during that period. Palladium
shipments were not affected. 
       Palladium is used mainly in cars as a catalyst to clean noxious exhaust
gases and platinum is used to make jewellery. 
    (Reporting by Polina Devitt, writing by Aleksandras Budrys) Keywords:
PLATINUM RUSSIA/MONOPOLY     
(aleksandras.budrys@reuters.com; +7 495 775 1242; Reuters Messaging:
aleksandras.budrys.reuters.com@reuters.net)