Project Overview
Granite Creek hosts both high grade open pit and underground mineral resources that remain open for expansion. The underground mine at Granite Creek is fully permitted and has been rehabilitated to expedite the development process.
In November 2021, i-80 released results of a PEA for Granite Creek confirming the substantial economic opportunity that can be realized through the development of both open pit and underground mines. The PEA notes construction of a heap leach and CIL facilities on the property for the open pit and trucking refractory material for third party processing. Current M&I resource estimates from the PEA include 1,245,000 gold ounces at 1.42 Au g/t for the open pit and 337,000 gold ounces at 10.4 Au g/t for the underground over a nine-year mine life.
Since release of the PEA*, i-80 has made significant progress advancing the project including commencement of a major surface and underground drill program (~20,000 meters),completing additional underground development and commencing test mining in advance of making a production decision for the underground mine.
In July 2022, i-80 began shipping sulfide mineralized ore from operations at Granite Creek Mine to Nevada Gold Mines' Twin Creeks processing facility. This shipment represents another major milestone achieved, ahead of schedule, in i-80's 2022 comprehensive plan .
Granite Creek is currently ramping up production, targeting 1,000 tons per day by the second half of 2023. i-80 is also executing an extensive exploration and delineation drilling program targeting both the open pit and underground mineralization. In November 2022, i-80 Gold released positive high-grade results from the South Pacific Zone and demonstrated that the Ogee Zone is comprised primarily of oxide mineralization, which is amenable to non-refractory processing. The Ogee and South Pacific Zones remain open at depth, providing substantial upside.