Swiss-based Nyrstar making plans to re-start Myra Falls Mine on Vancouver Island

Aerial view of the Myra Falls Mine on Vancouver Island. — Photo courtesy Nyrstar

Shuttered since 2015 Swiss mining company, Nyrstar is looking at re-starting its operation at Myra Falls on Vancouver Island. The mine potentially will once again employ upwards of 300 workers. The Myra Falls mine is located in a provincial park in central Vancouver Island and linked by a 90 kilometre asphalt road to the port of Campbell River.

A Nyrstar document describes the mine’s history and states, “The Myra Falls mine has a long history of reserve placement and promising exploration potential. There have been over 100 years of mineral exploration activity in central Vancouver Island and mining has been carried out at Myra Falls since 1966. The mine operations started in 1969. Formation hosts a geologically diverse collection of mineralized body with the principal minerals being sphalerite, pyrite and chalcopyrite with minor galena, bornite, tennantite and locally signifi cant secondary copper.”

Nyrstar officials said in an interview with the Vancouver Sun newspaper, “The company’s board of directors made the decision to reopen Aug. 1, which is contingent on meeting provincial permit requirements, “negotiating positive commercial relationships” for new sales contracts and finding “the right kind of skilled workers” to bring the mine back into operation.”

However, getting to opening will require “tens of millions of dollars” worth of upgrades to infrastructure and spending on more modern equipment over a period of years to refurbish the mine’s facilities and renew its mine plan, mine general manager Randy McMahon told the Vancouver Sun.

Read the entire interview here: http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/mine-near-campbell-river-to-restart-bring-back-more-than-300-jobs

Myra Falls produces zinc concentrate, copper concentrate, lead concentrate, silver and gold as by-products.

Nyrstar is a global multi-metals business, with a market leading position in zinc and lead, and growing positions in other base and precious metals, which are essential resources that are fuelling the rapid urbanisation and industrialisation of our changing world. Nyrstar has mining, smelting and other operations located in Europe, the Americas and Australia and employs approximately 4,300 people. Nyrstar is incorporated in Belgium and has its corporate office in Switzerland. Nyrstar is listed on Euronext Brussels under the symbol NYR. For further information please visit the Nyrstar website: www.nyrstar.com.