Miners were back underground at 777 on Tuesday night, eight days after the mine temporarily closed due to an equipment malfunction.
Scott Brubacher, director of corporate communications for Hudbay, confirmed Wednesday that a shift went into the mine the previous evening.
A day earlier Rob Winton, head of Hudbay’s Manitoba operations, said the 777 shaft was expected to be cleared for entry within 24 hours, with skipping to resume later in the week.
The mine shut down Oct. 6 after the ore conveyance became lodged in the main production shaft.
Winton said an investigation into the “mechanism of failure” was still underway Tuesday.
The Oct. 6 incident brought a stop-work order from the provincial Mines Branch, meaning no one was allowed underground until repairs were complete, according to president Tom Davie of the USW Local 7106 union.
Hudbay said the mishap did not affect the employees on shift coming to surface at the time.
The temporary closure left the Flin Flon concentrator to treat ore from the 777 North and Reed mines, while the zinc plant drew on stockpiled concentrate.
The 777 mine remains a crucial asset for Hudbay. In its 2014 production projections, Hudbay expected to derive 60 to 100 per cent of its copper output from the 777 and Reed mines.
The company also projected the two mines would yield 48 to 69 per cent of its zinc and 59 to 87 per cent of its precious metals.
Hudbay’s projections did not isolate 777 on its own, instead combining it with Reed.
On paper, 777 is slated to end its run in 2021, but the company is hopeful that underground exploration will extend the life of the operation.
