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Imperial Metals Reports Production for 2019 First Quarter
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 01, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Metals Corporation (the “Company”) (TSX:III) reports its metal production from the Red Ch
About this update from Imperial Metals Corporation
[{"type":"text","content":" VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 01, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Metals Corporation (the “Company”) (TSX:III) reports its metal production from the Red Chris and Mount Polley mines for the 2019 first quarter was 15.41 million pounds copper and 14,463 ounces gold. Red Chris first quarter metal production was 13.10 million pounds copper and 8,317 ounces gold. Mill throughput averaged 26,315 tonnes per calendar day during the first quarter, down from the 28,783 achieved in the same quarter last year. Metal recoveries were 73.84% copper and 48.06% gold, compared to 77.22% copper and 47.37% gold in the comparable 2018 quarter. The reduced throughput and recovery in the quarter were the result of challenges with water reclaim quantity and quality. A large portion of the available water in the Tailings Impoundment Area became unavailable due to freezing, owing to extreme cold temperatures. Operations were sustained by utilizing the available free water to continue operations at a reduced rate. The period of reduced operations extended from about February 9 to March 28, with warming temperatures and adjusted tailings deposition management providing sufficient water for operations to return to normal throughput rates. Mount Polley first quarter metal production was 2.31 million pounds copper and 6,147 ounces gold. Mill throughput averaged 13,653 tonnes per calendar day during the first quarter. Metal recoveries were 38.37% copper and 57.47% gold, compared to 75.67% copper and 73.75% gold in the comparable 2018 quarter. Copper oxide percentages in the 2019 first quarter averaged 40.9%, up substantially from the average of 13.4% in the comparable 2018 quarter. Copper oxide content negatively impacted metal recoveries as copper oxide minerals do not respond well to flotation recovery methods. Extremely cold winter temperatures also affected the Mount Polley mill throughput during the first quarter. Freezing ore in chutes and stockpiles limited the milling rates from the latter part of January into late February. During February 2019, only 9,764 dry metric tonnes were treated per calendar day milled, versus 17,531 dry metric tonnes treated during February 2018. Warmer temperatures in March improved mill throughput, which averaged over 16,000 tonnes per day in March and about 18,000 tonnes per day for the first 20 days of ...