HECLA Mining die Daten...immer mehr im Goldgeschäft ! - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[weisenstein]

Wednesday February 6, 9:05 am Eastern Time
Hecla sees higher gold, lower silver production
COER D`ALENE, Idaho, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE:HL - news) said on Wednesday it produced more gold at a lower cost in 2001 than it had expected.

Hecla said it produced 194.7 thousand ounces of gold in 2001, up 33 percent from 2000, at an average total cash cost of $133 per ounce, helped by 64 percent higher production and 29 percent lower costs at its La Camorra gold mine in Venezuela.

Silver production fell slightly to 7.4 million ounces, partly due to a voluntary one-third reduction in production at its Lucky Friday mine in Northern Idaho because of weak prices. In 2002, the deep underground mine is expected to produce about 1.5 million ounces of silver at about $5 per ounce average total cash cost.

Hecla said it estimates gold production in 2002 will be about 195 thousand ounces, with an average cash costs of $150 per ounce. Total silver production is estimated to range from 6 million to 7 million ounces at an average total cash cost of less than $3.50 per ounce.

Shares of Hecla closed at $1.23 on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange. Over the past 52 weeks, the stock traded between 63 cents and $1.70.

MfG W.

[weisenstein]

Monday July 15, 7:59 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Hecla Mining Company
Hecla Increases 2002 Production Estimates and Anticipates Lower Cash Costs
COEUR D`ALENE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 15, 2002--Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL - News) & (NYSE:HL-PrB) today increased its estimates of gold and silver production for 2002, based on the performance of its operating properties during the first half of the year.

Hecla now expects to produce approximately 215,000 ounces of gold and 8 million ounces of silver this year. This is a 10% increase from earlier gold production estimates and a 7% increase in anticipated silver production. Increased production and productivity, as well as continued impressive ore grades, have also led to lower cash costs of production. The average total cash cost for gold produced by Hecla this year is expected to be about $145 per ounce, and the average total cash cost for silver is estimated at under $2.60 per ounce. Earlier estimates for 2002 placed production at 195,000 ounces of gold at a total cash cost of under $150 per ounce and 7.5 million ounces of silver at a total cash cost of about $3 per ounce.

Hecla President Phillips Baker, Jr., said, "I`m extremely pleased to be able to report that good production results during the first half of the year have prompted us to raise our estimates of production and lower our estimates of costs for 2002. We are producing significantly more gold than a year ago, while becoming the premier low-cost silver producer. This is very good news. What we see here is a continuation of the company`s turnaround story, and further confirmation of our ability to deliver performance as promised."

Estimates for 2002 production include approximately 150,000 ounces of gold from the La Camorra gold mine in Venezuela, about 3.2 million ounces of silver and 37,000 ounces of gold from the San Sebastian mine in Mexico, about 3.1 million ounces of silver and 28,000 ounces of gold from the Greens Creek mine in Alaska, and approximately 1.7 million ounces of silver from the Lucky Friday mine in northern Idaho.

FIRST HALF 2002 PRODUCTION

Hecla produced approximately 120,000 ounces of gold during the first half of 2002, compared to 86,152 ounces during the same period in 2001, which is nearly a 40% increase. The La Camorra mine was the major contributor to gold production, producing about 85,000 ounces during the first half of the year. In addition, the San Sebastian mine and the Greens Creek mine produced approximately 19,000 ounces of gold and 15,000 ounces of gold, respectively.

Hecla produced about 4.3 million ounces of silver during the first half of 2002, compared to production of 4.1 million ounces of silver in the same period last year. The Greens Creek mine provided nearly 1.7 million ounces of silver for Hecla`s account during the first half of 2002, while San Sebastian contributed more than 1.6 million ounces. The Lucky Friday mine produced 1 million ounces of silver in the first half of 2002.

Hecla bald in neuen Höhen!
MfG Weisenstein