In their 2017 second quarter financial report Hudbay says ore mined at their Manitoba operations increased by two percent over the same period last year.  President Alan Hair says that was primarily as a result of increased production at the company’s Lalor and Reed mines, partially offset by decreased production at the Triple Seven mine in Flin Flon. He notes Manitoba contained metal production increased as a result of higher grades in all metals at Triple Seven as well as higher throughput in grades at both the Flin Flon and Stall Lake concentrators.  He notes due to increased Lalor mine throughput and higher zinc rates at Triple Seven, concentrate production is exceeding the processing capacity of the Flin Flon zinc plant and as a result sales of excess zinc concentrate inventory began in the second quarter of this year and will continue as long as the concentrate production exceeds zinc plant processing capacity.

Hair adds the strong ramp up of ore production from the Lalor mine in the first half of this year has resulted in the accumulation of an ore stockpile as Lalor’s production has exceeded the Stall concentrator’s current milling capacity so they have started to truck some of the stockpiled ore to the Flin Flon mill for processing in the second half of this year.