Chris Buncic , CEO and Co-Founder at Ascendant Resources , discusses the rejuvenation of the El Mochito mine in Honduras and the Mining 101 approach that has powered its success
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T he El Mochito mine , located in the Las Vegas municipality of Honduras and around 88km southwest of San Pedro Sula , has undergone a dramatic rejuvenation at the hands of Ascendant Resources which acquired the site in December 2016 . Under Ascendant ’ s management , El Mochito ’ s zinc production has doubled and its revenues are growing rapidly . Not only that , Ascendant has become the leading miner in Honduras , a country whose mining potential has been sorely overlooked according to CEO Chris Buncic . He earmarks both capital investment and the shift in management styles that defined the takeover as being of vital importance to the mine ’ s renaissance . “ After we closed the acquisition , we set upon a program of optimization and rehabilitation of the asset , as well as retraining operators ,” says Buncic . “ It was a very peoplefocused change .” In tandem with introducing an array of new equipment – a long overdue endeavor at El Mochito – Ascendant brought the mine to free