What are i-80’s latest production targets?

i-80 Gold Corp is currently advancing several projects that we expect will result in our company being the fastest-growing gold producer in Nevada. We will see limited production in 2022, around 20 to 30.000 oz Au, but with the development of the new operations, we expect to see significant increases year-on-year until 2025. I forecast this should make us the second-largest producer in the state after Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) by 2026 with a production of 250-300.000 oz/y. We are also advancing a very exciting polymetallic (base metals, gold, and silver) deposit at Ruby Hill that we are targeting to advance to production by 2026, which should result in our gold equivalent production closer to 500,000 oz/y.

Can you provide the latest updates at Ruby Hill, Lone Tree and the Granite Creek projects?

We had realized substantial exploration success over the past year including three discoveries at Ruby Hill. The 007 Zone is the most recent one, where our first intercept returned greater than 10 g/t over more than 11 meters. We are most excited about our new CRD (Carbonate Replacement Deposit) discovery immediately south of the pit where initial drilling is displaying some of the highest grades in CRD history. Our ambition is to diversify our production with the inclusion of lead, zinc, and silver.

We benefit from the fact that our Lone Tree processing facility is fully constructed, and we are now permitting to make changes to the facility so that it maximizes recoveries from our deposits and meets new environmental requirements. This facility is key to our growth, providing infrastructure that can process several ore types. In the interim period, we have entered into a processing arrangement with NGM to use their facilities for processing until ours is ready.

Granite Creek is our most advanced project. In early 2022 we started our development and test mining program and are in the process of mining refractory ore to deliver to NGM as part of our processing agreement and initial 10,000 tons of material to test in their autoclave facility at Twin Creeks. On the exploration front, the discovery of the South Pacific Zone (SPZ) is expected to become the most important horizon for mining at Granite Creek. The goal is to begin underground drilling at the SPZ in H1 2023 and mining in H2 2023.

What is your outlook for North American materials independence in the near term?

Governments need to bring in more experienced businesspeople and sit down with the industry before setting climate targets. The sooner the governments of North America start embracing domestic production, the better it will be for our material dependence. If we were to have a real conflict with China, we must see that they have most of the metals and processing facilities, and governments had better start realizing that.

How do you see the demand for precious metals evolving?

The demand for gold and silver will be high. Silver is used in electronics and in encapsulating copper wire which is key to the green transition. Gold is the world’s best conductor of electricity, so using it in small quantities on circuit boards will be important. I also believe that the demand for gold as a currency is going to increase as it is the only currency that does not have any political attachment, no debt obligation, and no printing press – this makes it a truly rare and unique currency. The need for gold as a financial backstop has never been more important than today.

What will be i-80’s key priorities before 2025?

The number one priority is advancing financial packages related to multiple mine developments and for the retrofit and restart of the Lone Tree processing facility, as it is the processing hub for our three underground mines. Getting this facility started will allow us to control our destiny in the future. In the interim, we will increase the cash flow our operations generate. Ramping up to full operation and gold production out of Granite Creek will achieve this as well as increasing gold production at Ruby Hill. These achievements will be key to our goal to become one of the US’ largest gold producers.