REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the month of May 2004.

    Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 401-F:

SIGNATURES

VANCOUVER, May 7, 2004 (All figures in US dollars except where noted) - Northgate Exploration Limited (TSX:NGX; AMEX:NXG) is pleased to announce that it has completed a revised pre-feasibility study on the Kemess North deposit and moved 4.1 million ounces of gold and 1.46 billion pounds of copper from an indicated resource to a probable reserve. Reserves within the Kemess camp are now sufficient to extend production until at least 2020.

Revised Pre-feasibility Study

The revised pre-feasibility study on the Kemess North deposit identifies a probable ore reserve of 414 million tonnes at 0.31 g/t gold and 0.16% copper within the designed Kemess North open pit. The life of mine waste:ore stripping ratio for the Kemess North pit is 0.81:1.

The mine plan at Kemess North has been optimized and integrated into the Kemess South mine plan and will require the addition of four 240-tonne haul trucks, two dozers, two graders and a small pit wall drill.

Development of the Kemess North infrastructure will begin in 2005. Pre-stripping of the deposit will begin in 2006 in preparation for the treatment of the first ore from the deposit near the end of 2006. Development will require the construction of a primary crusher and a truck maintenance building at the Kemess North site. Ore from Kemess North will be transported via a 4 km tunnel/8 km conveyer to the existing ore stockpile at the Kemess South plant site. Development will also require construction of a 13 km road and power and water lines to the Kemess North site as well as a new tailings line to carry tailings from the mill to a new impoundment facility at Duncan Lake.

In order to accommodate the additional ore production from Kemess North, a third milling circuit consisting of a SAG mill and ball mill will be constructed adjacent to the existing Kemess South mill building. The current flotation system has sufficient capacity to process ore from the combined Kemess South/North operation with relatively minor modifications.

During the period of simultaneous operation of the Kemess North and South pits commencing in late 2006, annual mill throughput will rise to 84,000 tonnes per day from the current rate of 53,000 tonnes per day. Once reserves are exhausted at Kemess South at the beginning of 2010, production will rise to an average of 88,000 tonnes per day for the remainder of the Kemess North reserve life.

The annual production of gold at Kemess for the three phases of operation is shown in Table 3.

Mill tailings and waste rock from Kemess North will be impounded underwater in Duncan Lake beginning in 2005 and ultimately, once the Kemess South mine is exhausted, the Kemess South open pit will also be used for tailings impoundment. Underwater storage represents the best long-term environmental option for containment of tailings and waste rock and the only known solution that prevents acid generation and the leaching of metals into the environment. At the conclusion of mining, closure plans include the reestablishment of fish habitat in Duncan Lake.

Kemess North ore is exclusively hypogene ore with similar milling and metallurgical characteristics to the hypogene ore at Kemess South. Extensive metallurgical test work performed at Lakefield Research has determined that recoveries of 62% for gold and 89% for copper can be expected over the life of the Kemess North mine.

The development of the Kemess North deposit will require an initial capital expenditure of $160 million over the 2005 and 2006 period. Sustaining capital over the entire 16 mine life will total $85 million. A more detailed summary of capital requirements by year is shown in Table 4.

The operating cost projections for the combined Kemess South/Kemess North mine plan have been estimated based on Northgate's operating experience at Kemess South and the specific requirements of the Kemess North development plan. Operating costs for the three phases of operation are shown in Table 5.

Unit operating costs at Kemess North will be substantially lower than those at Kemess South due to the lower stripping ratio of the Kemess North ore body, a reduction in milling costs due to higher throughput and lower tailings disposal and fixed overhead costs.

At prices of $375 per ounce for gold, $1.00 for copper and an exchange rate of Cdn$/US$ 1.45, the un-levered internal rate of return ("IRR") on the incremental cash flow generated by Kemess North is 8.6 %. Table 6 provides IRR sensitivities to changes in selected price and operating assumptions and Table 7 provides an IRR matrix at different prices of gold and copper.

Northgate expects to complete the Kemess North feasibility study during the summer of 2004. The study will incorporate (i) the final design of the tunnel/conveyor ore transport system, (ii) a cost-benefit analysis of further increases in mill throughput by increasing the size of the new grinding line and, (iii) any additional reserves created at Kemess South as a result of the 2004 drilling program.

The permitting process commenced in October 2003 with the filing of a Project Description with the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office. Numerous discussions have taken place with Provincial and Federal regulators, First Nations and other stakeholders with regards to water quality, fisheries and waste and tailings disposal options. Technical data, alternative studies and compensation plans have been completed with the goal of obtaining permits during the second quarter of 2005.

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Northgate Exploration Limited is a gold and copper mining company focused on operations and opportunities in North and South America. The Corporation's principal assets are the 300,000-ounce per year Kemess South mine in north-central British Columbia and the adjacent Kemess North deposit, which contains a Probable Reserve of 4.1 million ounces of gold. Northgate is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NGX and on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol NXG.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include without limitation, statements regarding future production, potential mineralization and reserves, exploration results and future plans and objectives of Northgate Exploration Limited (Northgate). Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Northgate's expectations are disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Northgate's 2003 Annual Report and under the heading "Trends, Risks and Uncertainties" in Northgate's 2003 Annual Information Form (AIF) both of which are filed with Canadian regulators on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov).