Wedoany.com Report on Feb 11th, Developer Novagold announced on Monday that engineering firm Fluor has been selected to lead the bankable feasibility study for the Donlin Gold project in Alaska. This appointment was made following a competitive bidding process involving several major engineering firms, marking a critical development phase for this significant gold project.
Fluor will employ an integrated approach, combining engineering, cost, scope, and scheduling to produce an investment-grade study report. The target completion date is set for 2027, with a detailed schedule and budget expected to be announced in the coming months. This feasibility study will integrate key work packages and coordinate specialized contractors, covering infrastructure and processing components such as the power plant, natural gas pipeline, pressure oxidation circuit, and oxygen plant.
Leveraging its experience in large-scale mining and infrastructure projects, Fluor will oversee the delivery of overall engineering, cost, and timeline frameworks. The feasibility study work will primarily be conducted at Fluor's offices in Canada, supported by its high-value centers, and coordinated with the Donlin Gold office in Alaska and the project site.
Requests for proposals for the power plant, pipeline, and the pressure oxidation and oxygen plant scopes were issued in the fourth quarter of 2025, and these work streams will be incorporated into the feasibility study. Concurrently, Donlin Gold management has begun recruiting key personnel to form the owner's project team and is advancing on-site activities to support the next development phase.
Current on-site work includes geotechnical drilling and material evaluation along the planned upstream port and access route to support detailed design and the feasibility study. The Donlin Gold project is considered one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in the United States, with resources containing approximately 40 million ounces of gold. It is projected to have an average annual production of over 1 million ounces during its 27-year mine life, highlighting its potential in global gold development.
