I-80 Gold Progresses Five Nevada Projects Toward Production with Major Drilling Program

• i-80 Gold is advancing three high-grade underground mines (Granite Creek, Cove, Ruby Hills) and two oxide open pit projects through systematic infill drilling and feasibility studies, with completion targets set for Q1 2026 and Q1 2027.
• The company has completed 45,000 meters of drilling at Cove over two years and plans 14,000 meters at Granite Creek in 2025, focusing on converting inferred resources to measured and indicated categories.
• All Northern Nevada projects will utilize a centralized autoclave processing facility at Lone Tree, with heap leach pads at individual sites, creating operational synergies and cost efficiencies.
• Led by VP of Geology Tyler Hill with 9+ years on the Cove project, the 15-person geology team leverages deep local expertise and established contractor relationships across Northern Nevada's mining district.
• Beyond current development, the company maintains significant brownfields exploration opportunities based on historic shallow drilling data and robust geological models, with potential for deeper mineralization discoveries.

i-80 Gold represents a focused precious metals development company with a concentrated asset portfolio in Northern Nevada's prolific mining district. The company has emerged from Premier Gold's reorganization with a clear mandate to advance multiple projects through feasibility studies toward production. Tyler Hill, Vice President of Geology, provides insight into the company's systematic approach to resource development and the technical foundation supporting their ambitious production timeline.

The significance of i-80 Gold's strategy lies in its geographic concentration within Nevada's established mining infrastructure and regulatory environment. With five projects spanning both underground and open pit opportunities, the company has positioned itself to benefit from economies of scale through centralized processing while maintaining operational flexibility across diverse deposit types.

Project Development Through Systematic Resource Definition

The company's immediate focus centers on systematic resource definition through extensive infill drilling campaigns. Hill explains the scope of these efforts: 

"This year at Granite Creek we'll do about 14,000 meters of infill drilling. We're drilling on about 50 meter spacing there. And what the goal really is to increase our confidence in the resources there. So going from inferred to measured and indicated in the resources."

At Cove, the flagship project where Hill has worked for over nine years, the drilling campaign has been substantially larger. 

"At Cove over the last two years, we've done about 45,000 meters of drilling. All that will be rolled into a feasibility study that we plan to put out in Q1 of next year." 

This extensive drilling program demonstrates the company's commitment to establishing high-confidence resource estimates before advancing to production decisions.

The Ruby Hills project, specifically the Archimedes Underground component, represents the next phase of development. Hill indicates that underground drilling operations will commence later in 2025, continuing through 2026, with feasibility study completion targeted for the first quarter of 2027.

Technical Team Operational Structure

i-80 Gold's technical capabilities rest on a 15-person geology team managed by Hill, leveraging both continuity from the Premier Gold era and new additions under current management. The team structure reflects Nevada mining industry standards, utilising contractor drilling services while maintaining in-house geological expertise at each site.

"We don't have any of our own rigs. We use contractors for that. But we have geologists at each site and they kind of filter down from there. You know, the senior level geos all the way down to project level." 

This approach allows the company to maintain operational flexibility while accessing specialized drilling capabilities as needed across multiple sites.

The integration of new management systems and processes has been a focus area for operational improvement. 

Centralized Processing Hub Strategy

A key differentiator in i-80 Gold's development strategy is the centralized processing approach utilizing existing infrastructure. Hill describes the operational concept: 

"In the big scheme of things, it's three high-grade underground mines and two oxide open pit projects and they're all in northern Nevada. And so we operate kind of under that hub and spoke system. So we have a central processing facility at our Lone Tree site and that's an Autoclave."

This processing strategy provides several advantages, including reduced capital requirements for individual projects, operational synergies, and the ability to blend different ore types for optimal recovery. The autoclave technology at Lone Tree is particularly suited for processing refractory ores that require specialized treatment methods.

Transportation logistics support this centralized approach, with "mineralization from those three sites would get trucked to that autoclave for processing and then the heap leach pads are at their own site." This configuration allows for appropriate treatment methods based on ore characteristics while maintaining central processing efficiency.

Interview with Tyler Hill, VP Geology, i-80 Gold

Feasibility Studies And External Partnerships

The pathway to production involves multiple feasibility studies managed through established engineering consulting relationships. For the Cove project, i-80 Gold has engaged SRK, a globally recognised mining consultancy.

At Granite Creek, the company partners with Practical Mining, reflecting a long-term relationship spanning approximately a decade of Nevada operations. The Lone Tree Autoclave engineering study is being conducted by Hatch, providing additional technical validation for the central processing strategy.

These external partnerships allow i-80 Gold to access specialised expertise while maintaining internal control over project development timelines and technical decisions.

Brownfields Exploration Resource Expansion

Beyond current development activities, Hill identifies significant exploration upside based on historical drilling patterns and improved economic conditions. 

"When you look at our sites and you look at them in the brownfield perspective, there's a lot of historic drilling across our sites. Now a lot of that drilling is pretty shallow, right? Because that drilling was in the 80s, the 90s, maybe the early 2000s." 

Current gold prices create opportunities for deeper exploration than previously considered economic. 

"They never envisioned a gold price that we have now. And so we're drilling a lot deeper”. 

This shift in economic parameters expands the potential resource base across all company projects.

“[The development of] really robust geologic models now with all the drilling we've done over the last several years [provides the foundation for identifying] exploration targets that have come out of those that are brownfields targets that we would step off on."

Northern Nevada Market Positioning

i-80 Gold's concentration in Northern Nevada provides both advantages and risks for investors. The region's established mining infrastructure, regulatory familiarity, and skilled labor pool support efficient project development. However, the geographic concentration also creates exposure to regional regulatory changes, labor market conditions, and local community relations.

The company's timeline for multiple feasibility studies creates execution risk, particularly given the complexity of coordinating three underground mines and two open pit projects. Success depends on maintaining technical team capability, contractor availability, and consistent capital allocation across multiple development tracks.

Gold price sensitivity remains a consideration, particularly as feasibility studies may require adjustment if commodity prices change significantly during the development period. 

The Investment Thesis for i-80 Gold

• Diversified Northern Nevada Portfolio: Five projects spanning underground and open pit operations provide production optionality and risk diversification within Nevada's premier mining jurisdiction
• Systematic Resource Development: 59,000+ meters of recent drilling across Cove and Granite Creek demonstrates commitment to high-confidence resource definition before production decisions
• Operational Synergies: Hub-and-spoke processing strategy utilising existing Lone Tree autoclave infrastructure reduces individual project capital requirements and creates operational efficiencies
• Experienced Technical Team: 9+ years of project-specific expertise at flagship Cove deposit, supported by established contractor relationships and proven Nevada mining professionals
• Clear Development Timeline: Feasibility studies for Granite Creek and Cove targeted for Q1 2026, with Archimedes Underground following in Q1 2027, providing defined value inflection points
• Exploration Upside: Historical shallow drilling provides brownfields expansion opportunities, enhanced by current gold prices enabling deeper, previously uneconomic targets
• Infrastructure Advantage: Northern Nevada location provides access to established mining infrastructure, regulatory framework, and skilled labor pool
• Multiple Value Catalysts: Sequential feasibility study releases, permitting progress, and potential resource expansions create multiple opportunities for value recognition

i-80 Gold's development strategy aligns with several favourable macro themes supporting precious metals investment. The company benefits from Nevada's position as North America's leading gold-producing state, offering regulatory certainty and established mining infrastructure that reduces development risk compared to frontier jurisdictions. Current gold price levels have fundamentally altered the economics of Nevada deposits, making previously marginal resources economically viable and justifying deeper exploration programs.

The centralised processing approach reflects broader industry trends toward operational efficiency and capital optimisation. By utilising existing autoclave technology at Lone Tree, i-80 Gold avoids the substantial capital requirements and extended timelines associated with new processing facility construction. This strategy becomes increasingly valuable as construction costs and engineering availability remain constrained across the mining sector.

Supply chain considerations also favour Nevada-focused development. Domestic mining projects face fewer geopolitical risks and transportation complexities compared to international alternatives, while benefiting from established supplier networks and service provider relationships. The company's contractor-based drilling approach provides operational flexibility during periods of equipment and skilled labor shortage.

TL;DR

i-80 Gold is advancing five Northern Nevada gold projects toward production through systematic resource definition and feasibility studies, targeting completion in Q1 2026-2027. The hub-and-spoke processing strategy utilizing existing Lone Tree autoclave infrastructure provides operational synergies while extensive drilling campaigns totalling 59,000+ meters demonstrate commitment to high-confidence resource development. Current gold prices enable deeper exploration of historically shallow-drilled targets, creating significant expansion potential across a diversified portfolio managed by experienced Nevada mining professionals.

FAQ's

Q: Why is i-80 Gold conducting such extensive infill drilling instead of moving directly to production? 

The company requires measured and indicated resources for feasibility studies and financing. Converting inferred resources through 50-meter spacing drilling at Granite Creek and 45,000 meters at Cove ensures high-confidence reserve estimates essential for production planning and investor confidence.

Q: How significant is the exploration upside potential beyond current resource bases? 

Historical drilling was predominantly shallow (sub-2000 feet) during lower gold price environments. Current economics justify deeper drilling, potentially expanding resources significantly. Hill notes "robust geologic models" have identified numerous brownfields targets for step-out exploration across all projects.

Q: What are the primary execution risks facing i-80 Gold's development timeline? 

Key risks include contractor availability for multiple simultaneous drilling programs, permitting delays, potential gold price volatility affecting project economics, and coordination complexity across five projects. Technical team retention and capital allocation prioritisation are also critical for maintaining development schedules.

Q: How does i-80 Gold's strategy compare to other Nevada gold developers? 

The centralised processing approach is relatively unique, providing cost advantages over companies building individual facilities. Geographic concentration in proven mining districts reduces exploration risk but creates regional exposure. Multiple projects provide diversification while maintaining operational synergies through proximity.