i-80 Gold Corp has awarded the engineering study for restart of the Lone Tree autoclave in Nevada, USA, to Hatch Ltd.

The study will complete a prefeasibility study (PFS) level mechanical and operational review of all aspects necessary for the restart of the company’s autoclave processing facility in northern Nevada.

i-80 acquired the Lone Tree property and associated infrastructure capable of, it says, processing all Nevada ore types from Nevada Gold Mines in 2021. The Lone Tree complex includes an autoclave, floatation circuit, tailings compound and heap leach facility that will become the hub of i-80’s Nevada operations and, it says, provide the platform to realise its future production growth plans of becoming a 500,000 oz/y producer.

The study, combined with an extensive metallurgical program of the mineralisation from the company’s Granite Creek, McCoy-Cove and Ruby Hill projects, will allow management to consider a range of restart opportunities and associated capital costs, it said. In the interim period, i-80 has secured processing agreements with Nevada Gold Mines so that it can commence underground development at Granite Creek, seeing material delivered to Nevada Gold Mines during the second half of 2022.

Matt Gili, President and Chief Operating Officer of i-80, said: “The extensive experience and expertise brought by Hatch Ltd will be one of the crucial elements enabling i-80’s success in re-commissioning and operating Nevada’s newest refractory processing facility.”