Bunker Hill Mining Corp. (“Bunker
Hill” or the
“Company”) (TSXV:BNKR |
OTCQX:BHLL) is pleased to announce that it has received a
non-binding Letter of Interest (“
LOI”) from the
Export-Import Bank of the United States (“
EXIM”)
for a debt funding package of up to $150M with a loan term of up to
15 years.
The funding will enable the Company to expedite
the development of the 2500tpd Bunker 2.0 expansion project (the
“Expansion Project”) coincident
with restarting the mine and strengthening the balance sheet.
”We are thrilled to announce this first step in
a potential partnership with EXIM to rapidly expand Bunker Hill’s
contribution to US domestic production of critical zinc and
silver,” said President and CEO, Sam Ash. “In the face of
competition from China, Bunker Hill is proud to play its part in
strengthening the US metals supply chain and creating new US mining
jobs within the disadvantaged Shoshone County of Northern
Idaho.”
Figure 1 - Bunker Hill Staff and
Contractors standing inside the 1800tpd processing plant in
Kellogg, Idaho
BUNKER HILL 2.0 EXPANSION
PROJECT
Coincident with the planned restart of the
operations at 1800tpd in the first half of next year, the company
intends to conduct extensive drilling from the underground and
surface of previously identified exploration targets. This will be
complemented by detailed engineering studies designed to support a
ramp-up to 2500tpd operations under the previously announced Bunker
Hill 2.0 Concept.
The first step on this path will be to issue an
updated resource and reserve report in Q1|25, followed by further
exploration conducted underground and at the surface. As key
milestones are completed, the Company will update the market and
its strategic partner on the evolution of this concept and its
supporting resources.
Figure 2 - Bunker Hill 2.0 Expansion
Concept
The Bunker Hill 2.0 expansion concept is
designed to significantly increase the rate and efficiency of the
mining and processing of the Quill-Newgard ore zones and
subsequently enable access to the deeper, higher-grade silver
galena veins being mined from the lower levels of the mine when the
mine closed in 1981.
The LOI from EXIM does not represent a financing
commitment and is a preliminary step in the formal EXIM application
process. The debt financing is subject to the satisfactory
completion of due diligence, the negotiation and settlement of
final terms, and the negotiation of definitive documentation. There
can be no assurance that the debt financing will be completed on
the terms described above. The Company will update the market upon
reaching a definitive agreement with EXIM for funding support.
The Company expects to submit a formal
application to EXIM by the end of 2024.
ZINC, SILVER AND THE US CRITICAL METALS
LIST
Zinc has been included in the US Critical Metals
list since 2022, while silver is being reviewed now for the 2025
list by the United States Geological Survey
(“USGS”). Both are metal inputs to the energy
transition, the ongoing upgrade to critical national infrastructure
and to domestic re-industrialization. Zinc for its ability to
galvanize steel, and silver for its reflective and electrical and
thermal conductive properties.
The 2022 list was created based on directives
from the Energy Act of 2020, which indicates that at least every
three years, the Department of the Interior must review and update
the list of critical minerals, update the methodology used
to identify potential critical minerals, take interagency
feedback and public comment through the Federal Register, and
ultimately finalize the list of critical minerals.
The Energy Act of 2020 defines a “critical
mineral” as a non-fuel mineral or mineral material essential to the
economic or national security of the U.S. and with a supply chain
vulnerable to disruption. Critical minerals are also characterized
as serving a necessary function in manufacturing a product, the
absence of which would have significant consequences for the
economy or national security.
ABOUT THE EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE
UNITED STATES
EXIM is the official export credit agency of the
United States of America. EXIM is an independent Executive Branch
agency with a mission of supporting American jobs by facilitating
the export of US goods and services.
As published in its 2023 Annual Report, EXIM
currently has exposure to US$1,476.7B in lending across 148
countries worldwide. The default rate across the portfolio is
0.98%, reflecting the high standards of credit required to obtain
EXIM financing. Furthermore, EXIM's charter requires that it
supplement and encourage, not displace, private capital.
The EXIM Make More in America Initiative
(“MMIA”) was developed in response to President of
the United States Executive Order 14017
on American Supply Chains and provides U.S. manufacturers new
access to capital to fill critical supply chain gaps, and was
approved by EXIM’s Board of Directors in April 2022. MMIA’s
objective is to unlock financing for U.S. manufacturing and close
critical supply chain gaps, especially in sectors critical to
national security. Under MMIA, EXIM can make the agency’s existing
medium- and long-term loans, loan guarantees, and insurance
programs available to export-oriented domestic projects such as
Bunker Hill.
The China and Transformational Exports Program
(“CTEP”) was established through a December 2019
Congressional reauthorization of EXIM’s charter. Under CTEP’s
mandate, EXIM is authorized to help US exporters facing competition
from China and to ensure that the US continues to lead in crucial
strategic areas critical to national security, including renewable
energy, storage and efficiency. CTEP supports the extension of EXIM
loans, guarantees and insurance at rates and on terms and other
conditions, to the extent practicable, that are fully competitive
with rates, terms and other conditions established by China.
ABOUT BUNKER HILL MINING
CORP.
Under Idaho-based leadership, Bunker Hill
intends to restart and develop the Bunker Hill Mine sustainably to
consolidate and optimize several mining assets into a high-value
portfolio of operations centered initially in North America.
Information about the Company is available on its website,
www.bunkerhillmining.com, or within the SEDAR+ and EDGAR
databases.
On behalf of Bunker Hill Mining
Corp.
Sam AshPresident and Chief Executive Officer
For additional information, please
contact:
Brenda DaytonVice President, Investor
RelationsT: 604.417.7952E: brenda.dayton@bunkerhillmining.com
Cautionary Statements
Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V)
accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news
release.
Certain statements in this news release are
forward-looking and involve a number of risks and uncertainties.
Such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term
in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the U.S.
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as well as within the
meaning of the phrase ‘forward-looking information’ in the Canadian
Securities Administrators’ National Instrument 51-102 – Continuous
Disclosure Obligations (collectively, “forward-looking
statements”). Forward-looking statements are not comprised
of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates
and statements that describe the Company’s future plans, objectives
or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or
management expects a stated condition or result to occur.
Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as
“believes”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “estimates”, “may”, “could”,
“would”, “will”, “plan” or variations of such words and
phrases.
Forward-looking statements in this news release
include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the
Company’s objectives, goals or future plans, including the restart
and development of the Bunker Hill Mine; the achievement of future
short-term, medium-term and long-term operational strategies; the
Silver Loan; the Company receiving TSX-V approval for the Silver
Loan and the issuance of the Warrants and the Warrant Shares; and
the timing and advancement of additional tranches of the Silver
Loan and additional Warrants. Factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements
include, but are not limited to, those risks and uncertainties
identified in public filings made by Bunker Hill with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and
with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities, and the
following: the Company not receiving the approval of the TSX-V for
the issuance of the Warrants and the Warrant Shares; the Company’s
inability to raise additional capital for project activities,
including through equity financings, concentrate offtake financings
or otherwise; the fluctuating price of commodities; capital market
conditions; restrictions on labor and its effects on international
travel and supply chains; failure to identify mineral resources;
failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves; the
preliminary nature of metallurgical test results; the Company’s
ability to restart and develop the Bunker Hill Mine and the risks
of not basing a production decision on a feasibility study of
mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability,
resulting in increased uncertainty due to multiple technical and
economic risks of failure which are associated with this production
decision including, among others, areas that are analyzed in more
detail in a feasibility study, such as applying economic analysis
to resources and reserves, more detailed metallurgy and a number of
specialized studies in areas such as mining and recovery methods,
market analysis, and environmental and community impacts and, as a
result, there may be an increased uncertainty of achieving any
particular level of recovery of minerals or the cost of such
recovery, including increased risks associated with developing a
commercially mineable deposit, with no guarantee that production
will begin as anticipated or at all or that anticipated production
costs will be achieved; failure to commence production would have a
material adverse impact on the Company's ability to generate
revenue and cash flow to fund operations; failure to achieve the
anticipated production costs would have a material adverse impact
on the Company’s cash flow and future profitability; delays in
obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental,
environmental or other project approvals; political risks; changes
in equity markets; uncertainties relating to the availability and
costs of financing needed in the future; the inability of the
Company to budget and manage its liquidity in light of the failure
to obtain additional financing, including the ability of the
Company to complete the payments pursuant to the terms of the
agreement to acquire the Bunker Hill Mine complex; inflation;
changes in exchange rates; fluctuations in commodity prices; delays
in the development of projects; and capital, operating and
reclamation costs varying significantly from estimates and the
other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development
industry. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and
factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements in this
news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on
such statements or information, which only applies as of the date
of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such
events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all, including
as to whether or when the Company will achieve its project finance
initiatives, or as to the actual size or terms of those financing
initiatives. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to
update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than
as required by law. No stock exchange, securities commission or
other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the
information contained herein.
Readers are cautioned that the foregoing risks
and uncertainties are not exhaustive. Additional information on
these and other risk factors that could affect the Company’s
operations or financial results are included in the Company’s
annual report and may be accessed through the SEDAR+ website
(www.sedarplus.ca) or through EDGAR on the SEC website
(www.sec.gov).
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e50e403-5dda-4fe3-accd-a3c1115a0460
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6d9e7bfb-d0ba-450e-9db1-92b3c768a344
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