Bunker Hill Mining (CSE: BNKR, OTCQB: BHLL) has completed its underground development ‘breakthrough’ down to the sixth level of its zinc-lead-silver mine in Idaho.
The old maintenance shop was demolished in preparation for construction of the mill, and it remains on track and on budget for a restart of the mine in the fourth quarter of 2023.
On Tuesday, mining contractor CMC completed the primary portion of the almost 550-metre underground decline from the fifth level to the sixth level, the Toronto-based company said in a news release. That allows rubber-tired access from the Russell portal to the start of the pre-existing Newgard ramp that allows such access between the sixth and eighth levels of the mine.
“The efficient execution of this critical underground development milestone paves the way for the start of low-cost mechanized mining on the first 1.8 million tonnes of mineralized material in the upper part of the mine,” Bunker Hill CEO Sam Ash said. “Its achievement is not only a testament to the skill of our Silver Valley team and superb mining contractor – CMC – but also to the project management team’s ability to keep the restart project on track in the face of inflationary headwinds.”
Once mining starts, this ramp will be the primary access and egress route to and from the orebody for 18-tonne haul trucks. The company claims this achievement represents the majority of pre-restart underground development requirements, ensuring that underground development remains on schedule and on budget, and secures access for mechanized mining equipment to ore for the first years of the mine plan.
Bunker Hill says the focus of underground development will switch to the rehabilitation of the Newgard ramp down to the eighth level and the rehabilitation of the existing underground infrastructure on the sixth level, including the underground maintenance shop, storage areas and logistic depots, plus the establishment of ventilation drifts and air walls.
It will be followed by the Wardner power upgrade in the first quarter of 2023, planned and designed in conjunction with Avista Utilities, which will supply 1.85 MVA of power to the Russell portal. That will provide underground operations with a step-up in electrical power and reduce overall operating costs by means of lessening the reliance on diesel generators.
According to the company, this development enables the start of resource conversion and expansion, and pre-production drilling. It also opens up the possibility of mining ore that can be sold to other Silver Valley-based mining companies in advance of commencing full-scale commercial production.
The mine, located in near the cities of Kellogg and Wardner in Shoshone County, Idaho, produced more than 165 million oz. of silver and 4.5 million tonnes of base metals over nearly 100 years, according to the company.
keep up the good work… pete