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Kellogg, Idaho. New Jersey Mining Company (OTCBB:NJMC; Berlin:NKM) recently
updated its mine plan for the Silver Strand mine which is expected to commence
production in the second quarter of this year. Increases in both silver and gold
prices in the past few months have a very beneficial effect on the economics of
the Silver Strand mine. With the silver price not far below $10 per ounce and
the gold price about $560 per ounce, the Silver Strand ore will have a net smelter
return of $150 per tonne. Operating costs are expected to be $84/tonne for a seasonal
operation producing about 5000 tonnes per year. The Silver Strand mine contains
reserves of silver-gold ore that will be mined and shipped to the Company’s mill
near Kellogg, Idaho. Currently, ore reserves and resources stand at 17,500 tonnes
with a grade of 5.87 grams per tonne (0.171 ounces per ton) gold and 337 gpt (9.8
opt) silver. The primary focus of the mining operation will be to expand the silver-gold
resource by exploring the orebody at depth by driving a ramp downward, and at
the same time recover gold and silver from the ore to help finance the exploration.
A mining rate of 1,000 tonnes per month is planned for the Silver Strand in a
seasonal operation typically operating from April through November. Management
believes that the Silver Strand is an excellent exploration property with potential
for a deposit containing up to 100 million ounces of silver equivalent. A comprehensive
geophysical survey has recently been completed to help understand the structure
of the mine area and to reveal extensions of the known mineralization which are
obvious drill targets. A second prong of the exploration plan for the Silver Strand
will be to drill these geophysical anomalies from the surface and underground.
One of the geophysical anomalies will be intercepted by the ramp planned for the
mining operation. About $300,000 in start-up capital will be required for
the Silver Strand mine including infrastructure and reclamation bonding. The initiation
of mining operations will be subject to available financing. An environmental
operating plan submitted by the Company in April 2003 was approved by the U.S.
Forest Service in July 2005. Once mining starts at the Silver Strand, another
production shift will be added to the New Jersey mill in Kellogg which currently
operates for one shift per day processing gold ore from the Golden Chest mine. New
Jersey Mining Company is involved in exploring for and developing gold, silver
and base metal ore resources in the Coeur d'Alene Mining District of northern
Idaho. The Company has a portfolio of mineral properties in the Coeur d'Alene
Mining District including the New Jersey mine, the Silver Strand mine, the Golden
Chest mine, the CAMP project, the Scotch Thistle project, and the Silver Button
project. This release contains certain forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Federal Securities Laws. Such statements are based on assumptions
that the Company believes are reasonable but which are subject to a wide range
of uncertainties and business risks. Factors that could cause actual results to
differ from those anticipated are discussed in the Company's periodic filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form
10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2005. Download
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