Toronto-listed i-80 Gold has completed the first sales of gold from residual heap leach operations at its Lone Tree and Ruby Hill projects in Nevada, the company announced on Wednesday.

“After less than a year of existence, we have produced our first gold from ongoing waste leach projects as we continue to execute the development of several projects within our portfolio as planned with the aim of becoming a major operator in the State of Nevada”, commented executive vice president Matthew Gollat.

Lone Tree provides i-80 with a competitive edge in Nevada by hosting significant processing infrastructure to grow the company’s business, including an autoclave, CIL mill, and heap leach facility complete with analytical lab and a gold refinery.

Current gold production is the result of leaching from existing heap leach pads.

The nearby Brooks and Buffalo Mountain mining operations are currently progressing with material to be trucked to the Lone Tree leach pad.

Mining of the Brooks deposit is expected to begin in the second half of 2022.

The Ruby Hill Mine is located immediately west of the town of Eureka and hosts multiple deposits which i-80 says collectively represent one of the largest gold and silver resource endowments in the country. State of Nevada. The property houses key infrastructure, including heap leach facilities, a CIL circuit and a plant.

Going forward, refractory mineralization from Ruby Hill is expected to be trucked to the Lone Tree Complex for processing after refurbishment.

The primary source of production at Ruby Hill is material from the East Archimedes open pit mine operated from September 2020 to November 2021, plus some residual leaching from older material on the pad.