Americas Gold and Silver says its Relief Canyon mine, in Nevada, USA, has declared commercial production, effective January 11, 2021.

The company poured first gold from the operation back in February 2020, but the failure of its radial stacker in May pushed the company’s initial commercial production guidance offline.

Its large radial stacker returned to operation on the Relief Canyon leach pad back in December, allowing ore placement to return to the targeted rate of around 14,500 t/d, up from the circa-7,250 t/d rate achieved with a temporary stacking solution.

The company is now targeting full ramp-up from the operation by mid-May 2021.

Americas Gold and Silver President & CEO, Darren Blasutti, said: “I am pleased to announce that Relief Canyon has achieved commercial production following a challenging 2020. The Relief Canyon team worked hard to overcome the common teething pains in commissioning a new operation, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the failure of our large radial stacker.

“I look forward to a successful 2021.”