Red River Resources is on track to start production from its Far West deposit in early 2019.

The company says the decline has advanced to 90m vertical depth at the site, which has a reserve of 1.5 million tonnes at 12 per cent zinc.

Ore from Far West will augment the output from the West 45 deposit, which is also part of Red River’s Thalanga project in the Charters Towers region.

“The Far West deposit will extend production at Thalanga operations for at least the next five years,” Red River managing director Mel Palancian said.

“Production from Far West is on track to start in Q1 2019 and we are planning further drilling to target extensions of the high-grade mineralisation in early 2019.”

Red River began copper, lead and zinc concentrate production at the Thalanga operation in September 2017.