KELLOGG — The Bunker Hill Mine is charging toward its much-anticipated restart of production. 

After more than 40 years of sitting derelict, with little more than maintenance and minor rehabilitation work completed, a promise made by Bunker Hill CEO Sam Ash during a 2023 groundbreaking ceremony is just days from being fulfilled. 

“We moved to Kellogg with a vision of restarting not only what is an iconic mine in the United States, but also an incredibly iconic mine in Idaho history,” Ash said. 

That timeline slipped more than he had hoped. But rather than abandon the project as record inflation strained available funding, Ash and his team of mining experts continued forward. 

In mining, production means the operation has restarted extracting rock, running material through its mill and producing concentrates. Once production begins, the mine will monitor workflows to identify where it can incrementally adjust production levels. Full, steady production typically comes after the mine reaches consistent operating levels. 

Earlier this month, Bunker Hill reported preproduction activities were 93% complete. Bunker Hill Mine General Manager Tom Francis explained what that figure means and what locals should expect once the mine returns to full production. 

According to Francis, the mine’s underground operations have been ready for some time, but crews have been waiting for construction to be completed on surface equipment and facilities, as well as testing of new infrastructure. 

“Everything is now structurally complete,” he said. “We’re now testing and commissioning everything.” 

Francis said the mine is on track with staffing efforts and currently has about 75 employees. The company expects to add an average of 10 employees per month until reaching between 150 and 200 full-time workers. 

While no specific date has been set for the production benchmark, Francis said all signs point to a June start. 

“We’re very much on track for that,” he said. 

Once the mine returns to production, Francis said the public may see some of the mine’s trucks leaving the Kellogg property in the mornings. The trucks, carrying ore concentrate, will travel from Kellogg to Smelterville along Silver Valley Road and access the highway there. 

Francis said most of the trucks will depart daily between 6 and 8 a.m.