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 people-
focused change.” In tandem with introducing an
array of new equipment – a long overdue endeavor
at El Mochito – Ascendant brought the mine to freeT
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 success340
AUGUST 2019ASCENDANT RESOURCES