Imperial Metals Corporation reports that 2024 metal production from Mount Polley was 35.7 million pounds of copper and 39,108 ounces of gold. The mine met its targets of 34–37 million pounds for copper production and 37-41 thousand ounces for gold production.
During the fourth quarter 1,660,937 tonnes of ore were treated (up six per cent compared to Q4 2023). During the
quarter 9.242 million pounds copper (up 11 per cent from Q4 2023) and 9,564 ounces gold (down 7.6 per cent from Q4 2023) were produced.
The Mount Polley Phase 2 exploration program in 2024, consisting of 6,758 metres in 27 diamond drill holes, had two objectives. First, complete near-pit drilling targeting the Springer Pit rim and the C2 Zone located just south of the now combined Springer-Cariboo pit and close to the concentrator. The second was to test high priority geophysical, structural, geochemical and geological targets outside of the active pit area.
The highlight of this drilling campaign is hole C2-24-115 which intersected 127.5 metres grading 0.72 per cent copper and 1.43 g/t gold, starting from 302.5 metres. The hole targeted a deeper, higher grade C2 mineralization that had been intersected by three historic drill holes. Mineralized intervals in these three\ holes included hole C2-11-101 with 34.5 metres of 0.54 per cent copper and 0.95 g/t gold from 297.5 metres, hole C2-11-97 with 57.5 metres of 1.16% copper and 2.07 g/t gold from 340.0 metres, and hole C2-11- 100 with 64.3 metres of 0.72 per cent copper and 0.99 g/t gold from 382.5 metres. This mineralization is deep, but grades may be sufficient to consider underground mining.