Hecla Mining’s Lucky Friday silver mine in Idaho, which suffered a fire last August and subsequently was idled, has restarted production.
The company said ramp-up to full production and receipt of insurance payments are both expected in the first quarter. The official restart date was January 9.
The plans to resume production, which were completed on schedule, involved developing a new secondary egress consisting of a 1,600-foot ramp and a 290-ft. vertical escapeway.
Whole-year, Lucky Friday produced 3.1 million ounces of silver in 2023, 30% less than in 2022.
“Lucky Friday’s production through July with our patented UCB method produced more silver than the mine typically produced in a full year with the old mining method,” said president and CEO Phillips Baker Jr.
Hecla is the largest silver miner in the U.S. Lucky Friday, located in the Coeur d’Alene Mining District, is one of the top seven primary silver mines in the world.
Source: Hecla