Northmin Corporation has reported positive metallurgical test results from a scoping study on the West Pond tailings resource at its 100%-owned Tynagh Project in the Republic of Ireland, achieving metal extractions of 93% for silver, 97% for zinc, 89% for lead, and 81% for copper.

The test program was conducted by Loop Hydrometallurgy Operations using a closed-system flowsheet based on tank leaching at atmospheric pressure and below 100°C with an aqueous solution of simple salts. During the process, sulfide minerals in the tailings oxidize to generate acidity for metals leaching, simplifying the circuit and reducing or eliminating the need for reagent acid. The West Pond resource contains 2.69 million tonnes of Inferred material grading 21.6% BaO, 49 g/t Ag, 3.56% Zn, 2.68% Pb, and 0.23% Cu.

“The results from this initial study by Loop Hydrometallurgy in Australia are very encouraging and potentially transformative for the surface silver project at Tynagh. The recoveries of silver are excellent at 93% and the high recoveries of other metals will provide significant additional revenue. The operating costs appear favourable and suggest potential for high operating margins from the project (subject to confirmation by further testwork and economic studies). Furthermore, the safe recovery of metals from waste material to valuable metal products provides a close fit to the Government's vision of a circular economy. With these positive results in hand, we are excited to move forward with further techno economic and environmental studies to rapidly advance the project towards production.” — Julian Vickers, CEO

Northmin has commissioned Loop Hydrometallurgy to conduct an economic study evaluating expected revenues, operating costs, and capital expenditures for the flowsheet. Assuming a positive outcome, the companies plan further test work to confirm leach performance and operating costs, alongside parallel environmental studies to support the permitting process.

Beyond the tailings resource, Northmin is assessing the site's overburden and low-grade ore stockpile, and recently completed hard-rock drilling below the historic mine, returning an intercept of 6.4 metres grading 4.92% copper in hole 3615-26-07. Elsewhere in the district, Group Eleven Resources Corp. discovered a new zone of zinc-lead mineralization at its Stonepark project in July 2026, returning 14.7 metres grading 2.0% zinc and lead from hole 26-2638-07.

Read the full announcement: Northmin Announces Positive Metallurgical Test Work Results from the Mineral Resources at Tynagh