Bunker Hill Mining Closes Pend Oreille Mill Purchase and Advances Dismantling and Demobilization Activities

TORONTO - Bunker Hill Mining Corp. reported the completion of the purchase of the Pend Oreille Mill from a subsidiary of Teck Resources Limited and provide an update on the dismantling, demobilization, and relocation activities.

Sam Ash, CEO, said, “We are excited to report significant early progress on the mill dismantling and demobilization process at Pend Oreille, including the successful removal and relocation of the surface crushing facility to Bunker Hill. Completion of the demobilization process is targeted for the end of the third quarter, setting us up well for the start of construction thereafter. We are also very pleased to report that all closing conditions for the purchase of the mill have now been met, a key milestone for the company as we continue to advance towards a restart of the mine by end of 2023.”

At the Pend Oreille site, 145 miles from the Bunker Hill Mine, the dismantling of equipment has begun following a deliberate washdown and “lock-out tag-out” process that minimizes any risks of contamination and ensures all work is conducted safely. Most of the equipment is surface-based, and the initial focus at the end of May was on the dismantling of the surface crushing facility and ball mill circuits within the main mill building (a separate underground primary/jaw crushing circuit will be dismantled towards the end of the operation). A team of millwrights that previously helped to maintain the plant is assisting Bunker Hill staff and contractors, as is Teck’s remaining onsite team. Specific heavy hoisting and electrical expertise will be added as required.

At the Bunker Hill site, the first items have started to arrive by truck at the main yard, including the surface crushing circuit facility described above.  The Company has expended significant efforts in the clean-up and clear-out of the yard, in preparation for upcoming engineering and construction work as well as creating space for receipt of the mill. On arrival the team is ensuring equipment is laid out in an organized way, stored in a manner appropriate to the piece of equipment and a form of triage is in place to repair, renovate and/or test equipment where required. This process will continue until around 250 major pieces of equipment, 100 major electrical items, 650 field instruments, and an extensive inventory of over 8,000 spare parts (inclusive of mill and assay lab equipment, conveyer components and electrical spares) have been relocated to Bunker Hill.