19 September 2022
Vancouver, British Columbia ? September 19, 2022 ? NorZinc Ltd. (TSX: NZC; OTCQB: NORZF) (the “Company” or “NorZinc”) is pleased to announce that preparation work has commenced for the construction of the Pioneer Winter Road (“PWR”) at its Prairie Creek Project (“Prairie Creek” of the “Project”) located in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories (“NWT”), Canada. The PWR constitutes Phase 1 of the 170km All-Season Road (“ASR”) that will act as the main point of access, connecting Prairie Creek to the Liard Highway 7.
Subject to financing, NorZinc plans to commence construction on the PWR mid-October 2022, which will signify the start of the overall ASR construction. Initial construction activities will focus on two headings: 1) from the Prairie Creek Mine through the mountains to Cat Camp at kilometer 40, and 2) from the northside of the Liard River, whereby the crews will construct a Wildlife Clearing trail whose aim is to safely pre-clear wildlife from the area. Both headings are planned to be complete by the end of the year. Ice bridge construction is expected to commence at the beginning of December 2022, with the main construction crews having access over the bridge to complete the connection to Cat Camp in Q1 2023. This first phase of construction will also re-open and cut new trails, where designated, along the access road corridor. This work will allow for acquisition of critical geotechnical data for subsequent road-building campaigns, permitting and to walk in key pieces of heavy equipment required for on-site early construction projects in the following summer season.
To complete the Wildlife Clearing trail, an excavator and skid-steer were successfully barged over to the north side of the Liard River in early September 2022. It is anticipated that NorZinc will commence wildlife clearing late October dependent on weather conditions.
The construction of the PWR from the proposed mine site to Cat Camp at kilometer 40, will be spearheaded with a new CAT 315 excavator and skid-steer, of which both were successfully flown into site via a heavy lift helicopter during September 16-17, 2022. They will be augmented by the bulldozer and rock trucks already onsite as the Company aims to complete the mountainous sections of the PWR by the end of the year.
To assist in PWR construction activities, additional rip-rap will be developed from the onsite quarry. NorZinc has received all necessary permits to store explosives onsite including the federal registration for the magazines and the permit from Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission to use and store explosives. This is in addition to the Quarry Permit required in the NWT. The Company anticipates commencement of blasting to develop the rip-rap stockpile in early October 2022.
“The start of the winter road work at Prairie Creek is a significant turning point for the Company as it signifies the start the overall construction of the Project and the beginning of the transition into the development phase. Following the recent permitting milestone of the receipt of the Land Use Permit for mining at the Project, the Company is confident that the work we have been doing with the regulatory bodies will be reflected accordingly with respect to timing of the final permits for construction of the PWR,” said Rohan Hazelton, President & CEO, NorZinc. “Preparation work of the PWR is key to remaining on track with our targeted road construction schedule and production expected in late 2025. This initial work keeps the project progressing while we await the final management plan approvals for full construction of the PWR.”