Denver, Colorado – Thompson Creek Metals says it’s newly minted Endako Mine mill is up and running.

The miner says commissioning of the new facility is complete and commercial production got underway February 1^st. So far, the company says things are looking good with the mill running at or above its capacity of 55,000 tons of ore per day. That’s a 77% jump in production over the old mill facility.

"We are extremely pleased to have achieved the full design tonnage for the new mill just 20 days into the commissioning and start-up process," says Kevin Loughrey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Thompson Creek.  "Our employees, contractors, and suppliers have performed an outstanding job meeting the many challenges necessary to reach operational and commercial production so quickly. 

Thompson Creek is still using the old mill’s cleaner and regrind circuit to process ore, but the new regrind circuit is expected to be complete by the end of the first quarter of 2012. The company says full production is expected by the second quarter of this year. Once that happens, the Endako Mine is expected to boost molybdenum production from approximately 10 million pounds a year to 16 million pounds a year.

Officials from Thompson Creek Metals will be at Friday’s jobs fair in Burns Lake, Area MLA John Rustad says the company is in need of approximately 70 workers at the new mine.