Americas Gold and Silver Completes Phase 2 of No. 3 Shaft Upgrades at Galena, Increasing Current Hoisting Capacity by 100% and Provides Operations Update
Americas Gold and Silver Corporation (USA) has announced the completion of Phase 2 of the No. 3 Shaft modernization at its Galena Complex, a critical infrastructure upgrade designed to increase hoisting capacity by approximately 150% and support planned ore production growth. The company reports that the $1.1 million capital investment materially de-risks growth plans, improves operational reliability, and establishes the infrastructure needed to achieve approximately 650 tons per day in ore production by the end of 2026.
The Phase 2 work, which focused on installing a new braking system to safely support higher hoisting speeds enabled by a Phase 1 motor upgrade, was successfully completed after a 28-day work period. This duration extended two weeks beyond the planned 14-day shutdown. Following the upgrades, hoisting capacity now reaches as high as 105 short tons per hour (stph), representing a 150% increase over the historical rate of 42 stph, with 85 stph achieved regularly. Final optimization is expected to maintain the 105 stph rate.
The shaft upgrades are expected to provide approximately 1,350 tons per day of total hoisting capacity, supporting the planned ore production rates of approximately 650 tons per day by the end of 2026, which marks a 50% increase. Future optimization steps, which require no additional downtime, include adjustments to guide alignment, installation of new and lighter cages and skips to increase payload capacity, optimization of shaft schedules, optimization of load measuring in skips, and an upgrade of the in-shaft communication network using Leaky Feeder and Fiber Optics for future automation.
These improvements build upon Phase 1, completed in the first quarter of 2026, which previously increased skipping capacity from 5 to 7 tons per trip, adding a 40% payload increase, and installed a new 2,250-horsepower hoist motor, providing a 29% increase in hoisting power. An additional hoist motor was also secured and installed as a critical spare to improve operational reliability.
Paul Andre Huet, Chairman and CEO, stated, "The No. 3 Shaft is the backbone of the Galena Complex, and these upgrades represent one of the most important infrastructure investments we have made to-date to support the next phase of growth. Through increasing total hoisting capacity by approximately 150%, expanding skip payloads by 40%, and significantly improving shaft reliability, we have materially de-risked our growth plans and created the infrastructure necessary to support higher mining rates at the Galena mine."
The company also reported two minor, contained incidents that caused temporary access or operational delays but resulted in no injuries or significant damage. In early June 2026, a minor electrical fire occurred on the Galena Mine’s 4900 Level, caused by a short circuit in a ventilation fan. The fire was rapidly contained with no injuries or significant infrastructure damage. Normal operations resumed immediately, except for the 4900 Level, which is undergoing safety audits and repairs.
Regarding the operational impact of the fire, mining activities in higher-grade stopes on the 4900 Level will be delayed into early Q3 2026. However, the company does not anticipate any impact on full-year 2026 production guidance as a result of this incident.
Additionally, a regional wildfire near the Crescent Mine occurred last week and has been fully extinguished. There was no damage to the mine site. Regional and company safety mandates prevented personnel access for approximately two days, but normal development activities have since resumed. Americas Gold and Silver Corporation maintains its full-year 2026 production guidance, with production expected to be second-half weighted.