Wedoany.com Report-Sept. 10, Fortitude Gold has received approval from the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to begin construction and operations at the County Line Mine gold project in Nevada, US. The project has obtained both the environmental assessment permit and the plan of operation (POO) from the BLM.

The County Line project will expand two historic open pits and utilise an existing waste rock storage facility.

The County Line Mine is located roughly 16 miles northeast of Fortitude Gold’s operating Isabella Pearl gold mine, spanning Mineral and Nye Counties. The project will expand two historic open pits and make use of an existing waste rock storage facility. By leveraging infrastructure at Isabella Pearl, the company aims to optimise capital expenditures and production timelines.

The project is awaiting a BLM Bond Determination letter for reclamation costs and a Nevada Reclamation Permit from the Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP) to approve surface disturbance activities.

Jason Reid, CEO and president of Fortitude Gold, said: “After years of unfortunate permit delays from the previous federal administration, we are excited to finally receive federal permit approval from the BLM for our County Line project. The project’s proximity to our Isabella Pearl processing facilities should allow us to leverage our operations and place County Line into production faster and cheaper than most all other new mine builds. We are also actively pursuing permits for Scarlet South, about 500 meters from Isabella Pearl, as an open pit, adding to our hub and spoke approach to mine building and additional mineralised feed for our operations.”

County Line offers several advantages, including high-grade oxide gold at approximately one gram per tonne, close access to Isabella Pearl’s processing facilities, and a short haul distance for mineralised material. The project will become the second permitted ore source for Fortitude Gold and will utilise the existing heap leach pad and gold processing facilities at Isabella Pearl.

Currently, Fortitude Gold is mining the Pearl Deep mineralisation at Isabella Pearl. Once final County Line permits are secured, infrastructure work will begin, prioritising road construction and water systems to prepare for mining operations. Projections indicate that by mid-2026, mining at Pearl Deep will be completed, allowing equipment to transition to ramp up County Line operations.

Fortitude Gold plans to achieve an annualised production rate of approximately 20,000 gold ounces from County Line over a two-year period. The integration of County Line into the existing operations is expected to optimise production efficiency, reduce capital costs, and extend the company’s operational footprint in the region.

This project reflects Fortitude Gold’s hub-and-spoke strategy, combining multiple nearby ore sources with shared processing infrastructure to enhance efficiency and output. By capitalising on existing assets, the company aims to accelerate production while maintaining cost-effectiveness and operational flexibility.