Broken Hill Mines (ASX:BHM) has restarted mining activities at the Pinnacles Silver-Lead-Zinc Mine in western New South Wales for the first time since the asset was placed in care and maintenance in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic.
The restart is part of the company’s progressive ramp-up strategy to reach full capacity of its 750,000 tonnes per annum Rasp Processing Plant.
The ramp up of Rasp will be supported with two additional ore feeds from Main Lode and Pinnacles to complement existing long-term Western Min ore supply.
Broken Hills has completed the mobilisation of a mining contractor and is continuing to organise preparatory earthworks.
Mining activity at the open pit is currently underway, with drill/blast and truck/shovel operations commencing.
The Rasp Mill is expected to receive the first ore from the Pinnacles Mine in the June quarter.
Broken Hill says the Pinnacles Mine hosts the second ‘high-grade’ ore feed for the company to bring online within its first year of listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). The company relisted on the ASX last July, as reported by Mining.com.au.
The company is now assessing multiple additional ‘high-grade’ ore sources, which includes the Pinnacles underground pit.
Intercepts from the Pinnacles open pit in the last 12 months include 7.9m @ 56.4% zinc equivalent and 1,562 grams per tonne silver equivalent from 57m; 8.9m @ 54.6% zinc equivalent and 1,537g/t silver equivalent from 11m; and 8.4m @ 30.6% zinc equivalent and 847g/t silver equivalent from 93.8m.
Broken Hill is planning a progressive expansion at the open pit into the Consols South, Fishers, Rope Shaft, and Junction areas.
Pinnacles hosts a mineral resource estimate of 6 million tonnes @ 10.9% zinc equivalent, with an exploration target between 6-15 million tonnes @ 2-4% zinc, 3-6% lead, and 40-125g/t silver.
Trading Economics reports the price of zinc at US$3,512 ($4,947) per tonne as of 20 May 2026, representing a 30.59% increase for this year over year.
Broken Hill Mines is consolidated from two of the three mining companies from the Broken Hill area that run silver, lead, and zinc operations across its Rasp and Pinnacles mines.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Broken Hill Mines
