Equinox moves Castle Mountain project into FAST-41 permitting lane
Toronto-listed Equinox Gold has announced that its Castle Mountain Mine Phase 2 project in California has been accepted into the US Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council’s FAST-41 programme.
The FAST-41 programme is expected to significantly reduce permitting uncertainty for Castle Mountain, providing a defined permitting schedule that could shorten the timeline for federal approvals. According to the project dashboard, the federal permitting process is anticipated to conclude in December 2026.
Based on the March 2021 feasibility study, the project is expected to produce about 200 000 oz/y over a 14-year mine life, totaling 3.2-million ounces.
"With FAST-41 permitting status in place we have initiated study updates and project optimisation to align with the permitting timeline and position the project for a timely construction decision. Once in production Castle Mountain will be a cornerstone asset, reinforcing our strategy of building a portfolio of long-life, low-cost mines in top-tier jurisdictions," said CEO Darren Hall.
Equinox acquired the project in December 2017 and operated a small openpit heap leach mine from the fourth quarter of 2020 to the third quarter of 2024. Currently, the mine is undergoing re-leaching procedures as the company continues to work on permitting, engineering, and optimisation.
Although the project is expected to operate within the existing approved mine boundary, changes to the scope of mining, such as increased land disturbance and higher water usage, require an update to both the mine and reclamation plan and the environmental-impact statement/environmental-impact report.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation