en.Wedoany.com Reported - Gold and silver have extended their rally that began in 2024, with high prices driving exploration and development across the Americas and beyond. The following introduces four companies making progress on their respective projects.

Junior developer LaFleur Minerals (CSE: LFLR) plans to achieve first gold production this year, advancing a restart strategy centered on the Swanson gold deposit and the adjacent Beacon mill. Vancouver-based LaFleur is reactivating this 750-tonne-per-day mill, which underwent over C$20 million in upgrades under its previous owner (defunct Monarch Mining) and is one of the few fully permitted gold mills in the region. LaFleur estimates it will cost up to C$6 million to repair and restart the mill. Swanson, located 66 km north of Val-d'Or, is an advanced-stage exploration asset controlling a large-scale land package exceeding 190 square kilometers. A preliminary economic assessment released in March, based on a gold price of US$2,750 per ounce, showed a post-tax net present value of approximately C$101 million (at a 5% discount rate), an internal rate of return of 65%, a payback period of less than two years, and all-in sustaining costs estimated at US$1,569 per ounce over a seven-year mine life. According to a February resource estimate, Swanson hosts 2.96 million tonnes of indicated resources grading 1.69 g/t gold for 160,300 ounces, and 1.08 million tonnes of inferred resources grading 1.93 g/t gold for 66,800 ounces. Recent drilling has yielded new discoveries: in April, hole SW-25-080 intersected 255 meters grading 1.18 g/t gold at 341 meters downhole, and hole SW-25-079 intersected 68 meters grading 2.29 g/t gold at 339 meters downhole. In May, LaFleur hired former Probe Gold executive Marc Ducharme as Vice President to advance the exploration program. In April, the company entered into a C$30 million prepayment facility and gold-silver doré offtake agreement with global trader Trafigura. LaFleur has a market capitalization of C$56 million.

NexGold Mining (TSXV: NEXG) is conducting infill drilling and a feasibility study update at its fully permitted Goldboro brownfield project in Nova Scotia, preparing for a construction decision this year. Meanwhile, the Goldlund deposit in northwestern Ontario continues to deliver high-grade drill results. On May 6, the company reported that hole GL-26-003A intersected 6 meters grading 14.1 g/t gold at 53 meters depth and 20 meters grading 2.99 g/t gold at 157 meters, while hole GL-26-002A intersected 7 meters grading 10.67 g/t gold at 189 meters. Goldboro, the company's most advanced asset, holds key permits. In September, NexGold entered into a US$24 million (C$33.5 million) royalty agreement with Appian Capital Advisory and signed a non-binding agreement for project financing of up to US$175 million. A 2022 feasibility study outlined an open-pit project producing approximately 100,000 ounces of gold annually over an approximate 11-year mine life, with initial capital costs estimated at C$271 million, a post-tax net present value of C$328 million (at a 5% discount rate and US$1,600 per ounce gold), and an internal rate of return of 26%. The project hosts 21.6 million tonnes of measured and indicated resources grading 3.72 g/t gold for 2.58 million ounces, and 3.18 million tonnes of inferred resources grading 4.73 g/t gold for 484,000 ounces. NexGold, formed by the merger of Treasury Metals and Signal Gold in 2024, targets combined annual gold production of over 200,000 ounces from the Goldboro and Goliath projects. Its market capitalization is approximately C$384 million.

Outcrop Silver & Gold (TSXV: OCG; US-OTC: OCGSF) has received high-grade drill results from its Santa Ana project in Colombia and is preparing for a resource upgrade. On April 30, the company reported that hole DH587 at the Guadual target intersected 10.8 meters grading 167 g/t silver and 0.68 g/t gold at 227 meters depth, and hole DH593 intersected 2.09 meters grading 1,287 g/t silver and 6.83 g/t gold at nearly 215 meters depth. These results come from a 35,000-meter infill and exploration drilling program this year, being incorporated into the geological model in preparation for an updated resource estimate expected in the second quarter. Based on the 2023 resource, the Santa Ana project hosts 1.23 million tonnes of indicated resources grading 446 g/t silver and 2.3 g/t gold, containing 17.5 million ounces of silver and 88,800 ounces of gold, and 966,000 tonnes of inferred resources grading 312 g/t silver and 1.6 g/t gold, containing 9.6 million ounces of silver and 50,900 ounces of gold. The project, located 200 km west of Bogotá, spans over 280 square kilometers along a 17 km mineralized corridor. In April, Outcrop appointed former AbraSilver Resource Chairman and Interim CEO Rob Bruggeman as CEO. The company raised US$23 million through a public offering in October. In November, the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) conditionally approved Outcrop's graduation from the Venture Exchange. Last year, Outcrop optioned an 80% interest in its Kramer Hills oxide gold project in California to Silver Mines, receiving US$6 million in cash and shares. Its market capitalization is approximately C$183 million.

Canadian explorer Silver Tiger Metals (TSXV: SLVR; US-OTC: SLVTF) is advancing the El Tigre silver-gold project in Sonora, Mexico, which has yielded strong economic study results and a growing resource base. Silver Tiger views El Tigre as a two-phase asset: a near-surface heap leach operation at the Stockwork Zone, followed by an expansion with high-grade underground mining. A 2026 updated pre-feasibility study for the Stockwork Zone outlined a conventional heap leach operation with a 9- to 10-year mine life. Based on a gold price of US$3,200 per ounce and a silver price of US$38 per ounce, it forecasts a post-tax net present value of US$456 million (at a 5% discount rate), an internal rate of return of 66%, a payback period of 1.4 years, initial capital costs estimated at US$86.8 million, and projected post-tax cash flow of US$625 million. The company holds all key permits required to develop the open-pit area. A preliminary economic assessment for the underground portion showed a post-tax net present value of US$304 million, an internal rate of return of 43%, and a payback period of 2.6 years. According to the 2026 resource, El Tigre hosts 58.6 million tonnes of measured and indicated resources grading 44 g/t silver and 0.49 g/t gold, containing 83.4 million ounces of silver and 931,000 ounces of gold, and 9.1 million tonnes of inferred resources grading 142 g/t silver and 0.92 g/t gold, containing 41.6 million ounces of silver and 271,000 ounces of gold. The company has awarded engineering, procurement, and construction management contracts, targeting commissioning and first production by December 2027. In February, it completed a C$57.5 million bought deal offering, shortly after raising C$40 million. Major institutional shareholders include Sprott Asset Management and Franklin Advisers. Its market capitalization is C$306 million.

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