Crowflight Ships First Bucko Lake Concentrate


First shipment of nickel concentrate being loaded in mid-February at Crowflight Minerals’ Bucko Lake
underground mine in Manitoba. The mine is expected to reach a production rate of approximately 362,000 mt/y
of ore in the second quarter of 2009. (Photo courtesy of Crowflight Minerals).
Crowflight Minerals shipped the first nickel concentrate from its underground Bucko Lake nickel mine near Wabowden, Manitoba, on February 12, 2009. The shipment marked the transition of the company from mine developer to producer. All Bucko Lake concentrates are being shipped to Xstrata’s smelter in Sudbury, Ontario.

Bucko Lake is initially processing lowergrade material to commission the mill. Metallurgical recoveries have fluctuated with this material and commissioning of the reagent system. Looking ahead, Crowflight plans to continue to optimize mill throughput, concentrate quality and mill recoveries; and higher-grade mill feed is expected to help increase recoveries and concentrate quality.

Crowflight is currently mining the first high-grade stope area on the 1,000-ft level at Bucko Lake. Lower-grade stopes are also being mined on this level, and a high-grade stope area on the 900-ft level is being developed. The main ramp has been developed to approximately 380 ft vertically below surface. Some ore development and crown pillar support activities will occur from the 450-ft level, which should be reached late in the first quarter.

Bucko Lake is scheduled to reach full commercial production during the second quarter of 2009. At 77% recovery, production targets for the year are 9.1 million lb of payable nickel from 362,000 mt of ore grading 1.65% nickel at an average operating cash cost of $3.61/lb of nickel.

As featured in Womp 2009 Vol 02 - www.womp-int.com