Hondo Minerals Corp has announced the expansion of its operational infrastructure in preparation for the opening of a processing facility at the Tennessee mine in Arizona. Hondo has expanded its operational infrastructure with the addition of support vehicles, multiple pieces of earth-moving equipment, a self contained assay and research lab, and a crush plant in preparation for initial ore processing and revenue production in May 2011. In addition, Hondo has begun preparations for the arrival of the generator that will supply power to the facility and provide ample power for expansion of operations in the future.

“I am pleased with the progress at site, and to be able to report that the project is moving ahead as expected. We now have most of the necessary equipment to begin processing as we complete the final stages of construction in preparation for the initial stage of operation,” said William Miertschin, Chairman and CEO of Hondo Minerals. The processing facility is anticipated to open this May. Once complete, the Tennessee mine processing facility will recover gold, silver, zinc, and other metals. It is estimated that the daily processing capabilities will commence at 10-20 t/d and increase to 50 t/d during late 2011, 200 t/d in 2012 and 300 t/d daily in 2013.

The company said that it expects to provide additional updates on the progress of the Tennessee mine processing facility in the near term. Hondo Minerals is engaged in the acquisition of mines, mining claims and mining real estate in the US, Canada and Mexico with mineral reserves of precious metals or non-ferrous metals. Hondo owns the Tennessee and Schuylkill mines in Chloride, Arizona. The Tennessee mine was the largest producing silver mine in Arizona history, and operated from the late 1800s until 1947 producing lead, zinc, gold and silver.