Adriatic Metals, a UK-based producer of critical metals, has commenced commercial production at its Vareš Silver Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The company achieved this status after maintaining a plant throughput level of 75% for 14 consecutive days, surpassing 80% over seven days, and reaching a daily processing rate of 2,000 tonnes in late June.
This development comes after overcoming previous challenges related to tailings management, following the completion of the Veovača Tailings Storage Facility in March and the commencement of tailings deposition in April.
An access road connecting the Vareš Processing Plant to the facility is now operational.
According to Adriatic Metals, mining activities at the Rupice site have been progressing positively, with 900m of underground development completed in the second quarter.
The plant’s performance remains stable, supported by the necessary permits, equipment, and personnel, said the company.
Adriatic Metals managing director and CEO Laura Tyler said: “We are proud to announce the achievement of commercial production at the Vareš Silver Operation, marking a significant milestone that demonstrates our ability to operate at production levels that support strong cash generation.”
The Vareš Silver Operation is located approximately 50km north of Sarajevo. The project completed construction in 2024 and began producing concentrates for sale to customers that year.
Currently, silver/lead and zinc concentrates are produced for European smelters and others.
As operations ramp up towards a production capacity of 0.8 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) expected by late 2025, Adriatic Metals is conducting expansion studies with the potential to increase capacity to 1.3Mtpa.
The operation benefits from existing infrastructure within a historic mining district and aims for nameplate production of 90 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) zinc concentrate and 65ktpa silver-lead concentrate.
Adriatic Metals is also pursuing extensive exploration across its 44km2 concession area at Vareš, targeting both greenfield and brownfield sites to further tap into resource potential. This exploration includes the continued evaluation of the Rupice deposit, which still presents unexplored opportunities.
