The Financial Post reports in its Thursday edition Teck Resources has shipped its first zinc concentrate from the Pend Oreille mine in Washington state following the restart of the mine which was idled during the economic crisis in 2009. A Reuters dispatch to the Post says the concentrate will be delivered to British Columbia, a major hub for zinc production in North America. The mine is expected to produce 44,000 tonnes of zinc in concentrate annually. The mine was put on care and maintenance five years ago when prices were around $1,100 (U.S.) per tonne, below the cost of production for much of the world's mines and Reuters says the restart comes as concerns mount about the impact of major mine closures on global supplies. The biggest closure will be MMG's Century mine in Queensland which will close in 2016. Prices on the London Metal Exchange are up 3 per cent so far in 2014, although they hit three-year highs of $2,416 (U.S.) a tonne in July, on a string of mine closures in recent years, including the Brunswick and Perseverence mines in Canada. Teck closed Wednesday at $14.41, up $1.37 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.