Bunker Hill on track for June restart of Idaho mine

Bunker Hill Mining Corp. [BNKR-TSX, BHLL-OTCQB] said it is on track for a June, 2026 restart of its flagship Bunker Hill Mine, which is located in the Coeur d’Alene mining district of northern Idaho.

The company said it continues to make strong progress across all key work streams as it advances towards restart, with approximately 93% of pre-production activities complete. “Underground development, infrastructure readiness, and equipment commissioning are progressing as planned, supported by our operations team and established contractor base,” the company said in a press release. It said these developments position Bunker Hill for a disciplined transition to steady state operations.

The renewed Bunker Hill mine is anticipated to be a low-cost, long-life, and sustainable venture, the company has said.

A pre-feasibility study envisages a five-year initial mine life, generating US$25 million in annual cash flow. The capital expenditure was pegged at US$55 million over 16 months.

In a recent update, the company said the 1,800 tonne per day processing facility building and its Motor Control Centre have been fully constructed and connected to the 13.8 KV grid power. It said internal construction activities, enabled by the operational 20 t internal crane were focused on placing the mezzanine floors, fully refurbished flotation cells and associated mechanical equipment.

On Monday, Bunker Hill shares eased 0.84% or $0.05 to $5.90. The shares trade in a 52-week range of $10.32 and $3.675.

Meanwhile, Bunker Hill has announced initial results from the underground exploration drill program underway at the “Cate-Eight” target at Bunker Hill.  This underground exploration program is designed to test high-grade silver targets near recently constructed mine infrastructure in the upper area of the mine, with the potential to be incorporated into the near-term production plan.

Exploration highlights include drill hole BHE26-01, which intersected to new veins with high-grade silver-lead mineralization near existing underground mine infrastructure. It returned 2.3 ft at 11.1 oz/ton silver and 28.4% lead, in a broader vein zone 3.5 ft thick returning 7.92 oz/ton silver and 20.55% lead.

These veins have never been mined or identified by previous exploration work conducted at Bunker Hill.

Mineralization occurs within 40-120 feet of mine development and remains open for expansion in all directions. The company said the current exploration target extends 350 feet along strike and 450-feet up dip, highlighting exploration opportunities in the underexplored upper areas of the mine, close to the footprint of existing mine infrastructure.

“The program has only just started and is on track,’’ the company said, adding that 730 feet of the planned 25,000-foot campaign have been drilled.

The “Cate-Eight” Vein target is considered to belong to the silver-rich Galena-Quartz (GQ) series of veins, previously mined on the lower levels of the Bunker Hill Mine. The company said this group of veins was historically underexplored and largely unexploited in the upper levels of the mine and represents attractive, potentially high-grade silver exploration targets adjacent to the mine infrastructure.