KELLOGG — Momentum is building at the historic Bunker Hill Mine as the long-idle operation moves closer to renewed production, bolstered by a surge in hiring, near-completed facilities and new technology transforming how the company searches for precious metals. 

Bunker Hill Mining Corp. President and CEO Sam Ash said the underground development needed for the mine’s initial years of production is largely complete. The mine has stockpiled about 20,000 tons of ore that will be ready to process once the milling facilities are fully operational. 

Company officials expect the first ore to go through the plant in June. 

“The development is pretty much done for the first few years of mining; now we’re doing the secondary stope development,” Ash said. 

On the surface, construction is nearing completion on major components of the plant. The processing facility is complete, and the flotation plant is in the commissioning stage. The tailings filtration plant is more than 60% complete and is designed to remove water from tailings before they are returned underground as paste backfill. 

“I am excited by this building because it represents environmental best practice for management of tailings,” Mine General Manager Tom Francis said. “It costs a lot of money and is a major structure, but it gets us in a very good place with regard to optimum water management and minimal environmental footprint.” 

While construction and hiring remain immediate priorities, Bunker Hill is also investing heavily in technology to guide its exploration efforts. The company is using artificial intelligence to analyze more than 100 years of geological data collected at the mine. 

“We’re using AI to help analyze all of the geologic data, and it’s coming back with some pretty interesting exploration targets,” Ash said. 

Ash said the technology dramatically shortens the time required to process historic data. He said the AI can review and analyze more than a century’s worth of information and produce conclusions in about 15 minutes, work he said a geologist estimated would otherwise take 100 years to complete. 

Ash emphasized that the technology does not replace geologists but helps focus their work. 

“It just narrows it down,” Ash said. “Then the geologists have to go and do the actual geology work. They love it; it increases their efficiency. To a certain extent, it’s kind of daunting. You have three or four geologists working data collected over a hundred years, so in some respects, they’re drowning in data. And this allows this data to be accessible and usable.” 

The push for advanced exploration tools comes as silver prices, though volatile in recent days, remain far higher than historic levels. 

“Silver prices are still performing really, really well,” Ash said. “What this allows us to do is to ask the AI models questions like where we are likely to find silver, based off their historic data, and it points out opportunities. Then we can focus our exploration in that area.” 

The use of AI in mining has expanded rapidly over the past year, with some producing mines already adopting the technology. 

“It’s really cutting edge,” Ash said. “The results we’re seeing are impressive.” 

Despite the long-term exploration potential, Ash said the company remains focused on restarting production. 

“Right now, we’re laser-focused on getting the mine into production,” he said. “We’re really working hard to make sure the recruiting is going well, all of those things that need to be in place for a successful operation.” 

Those efforts include securing over-the-road trucking contracts and purchasing a new fleet of mining equipment. 

Bunker Hill’s future growth was further strengthened in late 2025, when the company acquired the Ranger-Page Property, expanding its claim package by roughly 25%. The property lies west of the mine, extending into the hills above Pinehurst. 

The acquisition consolidated six historic, past-producing silver-lead-zinc mines, Page, Ranger, Crown Point, Golconda, Atlas and Morning Star, into a single contiguous land position. The Ranger-Page mines are geologically continuous with the Bunker Hill system, extending the mineralized trend under one operator and removing claim-boundary constraints. 

Historic underground workings, shallow past production and extensive legacy data provide near-term exploration efficiencies and long-term growth potential. 

As the restart approaches, Ash said the company is focused on building a workforce capable of sustaining operations. 

Bunker Hill Mining Corp. currently employs about 45 workers and 65 contractors. That number is expected to grow sharply in the coming months. 

“Between now and June, the number of Bunker Hill employees should rise to over 200,” Ash said. 

The company is recruiting underground miners, process operators, mechanics, electricians, engineers, geologists and office staff as it transitions from construction into operations. Ash said starting wages are competitive with local industry standards. 

“Mining is a good profession in North Idaho,” Ash said. “The jobs are typically well-paying, and we want to be that. We want to be competitive in the market. We’re really excited about building a team and transitioning into operation. We can see the finish line, and everybody’s working really hard to get there.” 

For more information or to see current job listings, visit www.bunkerhillmining.com. 

    Bunker Hill Mining executives recently traveled to Boise to participate in Idaho Mining Day 2026 at the Idaho Capitol Building. Pictured, from the left, are Bunker Hill Mine General Manager Tom Francis, CEO Sam Ash, and Vice President of Investor Relations Brenda Dayton.