Unstable ground and rockslides inside Revett Minerals Inc.’s Troy Mine has slowed silver and copper production in Lincoln County. President and CEO John Shanahan said crews are monitoring the situation and hope to be mining again soon.
“I don’t think we’re months or weeks away from operating, I think it’s days,” Shanahan said. “When you mine underground, you just have to adjust for conditions.”
Shanahan said rain in November and freezing temperatures this month are what likely led to unstable conditions underground. As a result, rock formations have cracked or fractured. Small rockslides were also found in abandoned parts of the mine.
“No one is in danger,” Shanahan said. “It’s not like one of those Indiana Jones movies with people running from rockslides.”
Production of ore inside the mine began to slow in November and was hampered even more by an electrical outage late in the month. Due to changing conditions, all underground mining halted on Dec. 1. Since then, the silver and copper mill has been working off stockpiled ore and Shanahan said all 205 employees are still working. He said the production slowdown has helped Revett catch up on maintenance and cleaning work above ground.
The slowdown this month has put a significant dent in the mine’s projected copper and silver production numbers for the year. As of Nov. 30, the Troy Mine had shipped 1.1 million ounces of silver and 7.5 million pounds of copper. In May, the company announced plans to produce 1.4 million ounces of silver and 11.5 million pounds of copper. Shanahan said it was unlikely the mine would produce that by the end of the year, but that is just the nature of the industry.
“It’s not uncommon in any underground mine to have these things happen,” he said. “You always have years like this, but it’s important to not let them get you down.”
The Troy Mine first opened in 1981 and operated until 1993. Revett reopened the mine in 2005. As of 2012, the mine has seven to 20 years’ worth of minable material, depending on market demands.
Shanahan said the decision to stop mining and slowdown production was based on keeping workers safe. In 2007, a miner was killed inside the Troy Mine after a section of roof collapsed. Shanahan said since then, safety at the mine has improved dramatically.
According to a press release in October, there were a total of four lost time incidents during the third quarter of 2012, resulting in minor injuries.
Regardless of a less-than-perfect year, Shanahan remains positive, especially considering that just three years ago the mine was on the brink of closure. Shanahan said Revett plans on announcing projections for 2013 in coming weeks. He said the success of the Troy Mine is due to a dedicated workforce.
“The way our team has handled (the slowdown) and monitored the situation is great and that’s all I can ask for,” he said. “I’m really proud of (them).”