Teck Resources Limited announced on March 6, a $40-million USD equity investment agreement with Bunker Hill Mining Corp., a move aimed at strengthening the North American critical minerals supply chain. 

The company says the investment will secure high-quality, cost-competitive zinc and lead concentrate from Idaho鈥檚 Silver Valley for Teck鈥檚 Trail operations. 

The funding will support the final stages of development at the Bunker Hill Mine, located about 60 kilometres southeast of Coeur d鈥橝lene, Idaho. 

Founded in 1885, the Bunker Hill Mine sits in Kellogg, Idaho, within the mineral-rich Coeur d鈥橝lene silver district.

Over its 95 years of operation, the mine produced more than 42 million tons of ore, yielding over 165 million ounces of silver, three million tons of lead, and 1.3 million tons of zinc.

Operations ceased in 1991 due to economic and environmental challenges, but efforts are now underway to restart production, according to the company鈥檚 website, bunkerhillmining.com. 

Under the agreement, Bunker Hill鈥檚 zinc and lead concentrate will be supplied through an existing offtake agreement, supplementing materials from Teck鈥檚 Red Dog Operations and other sources. 

Teck expects integrating feed from Bunker Hill to improve operations and enhance the Trail smelter's annual EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization), a financial metric that is a key measure of profitability. 

According to Teck, the investment is subject to various closing conditions, including the completion of specific restructuring transactions, a marketed private placement by Bunker Hill, and obtaining all necessary stockholder, regulatory, and stock exchange approvals.

Teck鈥檚 Trail Operations produces refined zinc and lead along with various precious and specialty metals, chemicals, and fertilizer products.

In 2024, the Trail smelter produced 256,000 tonnes of refined zinc, a slight drop from the previous year鈥檚 267,000 tonnes, primarily due to a localized fire in the electrolytic zinc plant.