Hecla Mining To Focus On Exploration And Predevelopment

COEUR D’ALENE, ID – Hecla Mining Company reported that in 2026, the Company plans to invest nearly double the 2025 investment in exploration and pre-development, focused on Nevada, Greens Creek, Keno Hill and Lucky Friday, with the goal of replacing or exceeding annual reserve depletion.
During 2025, the Company invested $25.2 million in exploration and corporate development (and $2.5 million in pre-development) activities, focused on high-impact discovery drilling at Midas in Nevada and resource expansion programs at our producing assets. This strategy balances district-scale discovery with near-mine resource definition and reserve extension. Guidance for 2026 calls for $55 million investment in exploration and pre-development.
Drilling programs at Greens Creek and Keno Hill continue to define and expand mineralization near resource boundaries, converting Inferred resources and identifying additional reserve extension opportunities.
Definition drilling at Greens Creek continued with three underground drilling rigs primarily focused on the East Zone. Notable East Zone assay results include one drillhole that intersected 247.3 oz/ton silver, 1.94 oz/ton gold, 22.7% zinc and 12.1% lead over 7.7 feet, upgrading the resource. Another drillhole, completed just outside of the resource boundary, intersected 91.2 oz/ton silver, 0.21 oz/ton gold, 9.2% zinc and 4.5% lead over 17.7 feet.
At Keno Hill one definition drilling rig continued to define and expand the Arctic Zone mineralization at the Bermingham Mine. One intercept into the Footwall Vein returned 179.2 oz/ton silver, 1.5% zinc, 6.1% lead over 14.2 feet, upgrading the resource. Another intercept into the Bermingham Vein returned 36.4 oz/ton silver, 3.4% zinc and 3.4% lead over 21.4 feet expanding the resource 140 feet from the previous boundary.
Surface exploration assay results received from drilling at the Gallagher Fault Block, West Gallagher, and East Ore Offset targets. Notable assay results from the West Gallagher Zone drilling include 1.0 oz/ton silver, 1.09 oz/ton gold, 0.8% zinc, and 0.1% lead over 1.1 feet. Follow up offset drilling of this high-grade gold intercept is being evaluated.
In January the U.S Forest Service approved the five-year plan of operations for the Company’s Greens Creek Surface Exploration Project. The FONSI and Decision Notice authorizes testing of existing mineralized targets and identification of new targets not accessible from underground operations. Inclusion of this project on the FAST-41 Transparency List acknowledges the strategic importance of identifying domestic sources of critical minerals and responsibly producing them.
Follow-up exploration drilling of the high-grade intercept at the Sinter Offset Vein area returned a second high-grade intercept, located 720 feet SE of initial intercept, at similar elevation. Drillhole DMC-475 returned 0.46 oz/ton gold and 0.9 oz/ton silver over 6.1 feet, including 1.31 oz/ton gold and 2.4 oz/ton silver over 2.0 feet, from a 2.0-foot, well-developed, multiphase quartz breccia within a 6.1-foot structure. Follow-up offset drilling is in progress, and this mineralization is open for expansion in all directions.
The reserves and resources described herein include those of Hecla’s subsidiary, HQI, including the Casa Berardi mine. On January 26, 2026, Hecla announced it had entered into an agreement to sell HQI to Orezone Gold Corporation. If the sale closes, as expected, the reserves and resources associated with HQI, including at Casa Berardi and the Heva and Hosco exploration projects, would no longer be the property of Hecla. There is no assurance the transaction will close, and readers should refer to Hecla’s SEC filings, including risk factors disclosed in its 10-Q and 10-K filings and the risk factors therein. Please refer to the Company’s news release titled “Hecla Mining Company Announces Sale of Casa Berardi for up to $593 Million” for further details.