Liberty Gold Announces Black Pine Feasibility Study With US$2.4 Billion NPV(5%) And 60% IRR At $3,250/Oz Au (After-Tax)
| Project Economics | Base Case | |
| Gold Price | $3,250/oz | $4,500/oz |
| Pre-tax NPV(5%) | $2,929 million | $5,371 million |
| Pre-tax IRR | 63.7% | 109.4% |
| Pre-tax Cash Flow | $4,460 million | $7,990 million |
| After-Tax NPV(5%) | $2,397 million | $4,336 million |
| After-Tax IRR | 60.5% | 104.3% |
| After-Tax Cash Flow | $3,579 million | $6,343 million |
| After-Tax Payback Period | 2.0 years | 1.2 years |
| Production Profile | ||
| Mine Life | 16 years | |
| Process Throughput | 74,200 tonnes per day (LOM average) | |
| Total Tonnes of Ore Mined and Processed | 433.3 million tonnes | |
| Head Grade (5 year; 10 year; LOM) | 0.35 g/t Au; 0.30 g/t Au; 0.29 g/t Au | |
| Strip Ratio (Waste:Ore) | 1.34:1 | |
| Average Gold Recovery | 70.2% | |
| Total Gold Ounces Produced | 2,841 koz1 | |
| Total Payable Gold Ounces | 2,838 koz1 | |
| Average Annual Payable Gold Production (Yr 1-5) | 202 koz | |
| Peak Annual Payable Gold Production (Yr 1-5) | 277 koz (year 5) | |
| Average Annual Payable Gold Production (LOM) | 177 koz | |
| Peak Annual Payable Gold Production (LOM) | 295 koz (year 13) | |
| Unit Operating Costs | ||
| LOM Operating Cost | $8.98/tonne processed | |
| LOM Cash Cost2 | $1,388/oz Au | |
| LOM AISC2 | $1,566/oz Au | |
| Total Capital Costs | ||
| Initial Capital2 | $411.4 million | |
| LOM Sustaining Capital2 | $254.0 million | |
| Closure Costs | $160.1 million | |
| LOM Total Capital | $825.5 million |
1“koz” refers to thousand ounces 2 Refer to“Non-GAAP Measures and Other Financial Information” below
Strong Economics Across a Broad Range of Gold Prices
Black Pine demonstrates significant upside leverage and downside resilience within the range of gold prices evaluated. An analysis of the FS base case illustrates the Project's sensitivity to gold price, with all other material assumptions remaining constant, as summarized in Table 2 below.
Table 2: After-Tax NPV (5%), IRR and Payback Sensitivity to Gold Price
| Gold Price ($/oz) | $ 2,500 | $ 3,000 | $3,250 (Base Case) | $ 3,500 | $ 4,000 | $ 4,500 |
| After-Tax NPV(5%) ($M) | $1,215 | $2,006 | $2,397 | $2,786 | $3,562 | $4,336 |
| After-Tax IRR (%) | 33.4% | 51.6% | 60.5% | 69.4% | 87.0% | 104.3% |
| After-Tax Payback (years) | 3.4 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
Project Description
Black Pine is a large, Carlin-style, sedimentary rock hosted oxide gold system located in Cassia and Oneida counties, southern Idaho, USA, with site access directly off the I-84 highway. Black Pine is a past-producing open-pit, ROM heap leach mine, active from 1991 to 1997, when Pegasus Gold Corp. produced 434,800 ounces of gold and 198,000 ounces of silver (“Ag”) from five open pits. Road access is well established, with up to 9.9 megawatts of grid power available at site, sufficient for the Project requirements. Additionally, Liberty Gold has secured sufficient existing water rights in the basin to support the Project.
Liberty Gold holds a 100% ownership interest in the federal lode claims and state minerals lease that host the Mineral Reserve at Black Pine. The Project is subject to a 0.5% net smelter return royalty (“NSR”) in favour of Wheaton Precious Metals Corp., with a 50% buyback right in favor of Liberty Gold for $3.6 million (assumed to be exercised in the economic analysis), a 0.25% NSR on certain private mineral lands, and a 5% NSR payable to the State of Idaho on production from the state minerals lease.
Mining
The FS utilizes conventional open pit mining with mine designs generated by AGP Mining Consultants Inc. (“AGP”). The open pits include the larger Discovery and Rangefront pits, together with the smaller CD, E, F, J and M pits. Average annual total material movement over the 16-year mine life is approximately 64 million tonnes, at a favourable strip ratio of 1.34:1 (waste:ore).
Two mining fleets are planned to provide operating flexibility across the larger main pits and the smaller satellite pits. The FS has adopted a full OEM contract for mobile mine equipment maintenance and repair for the first five years of operations with phased in-sourcing thereafter. The smaller mining fleet is assumed to be supplied and operated by a mining contractor.
All mining is conducted with at least 50 feet of freeboard above the water table, and all open pits are considered dry and are not expected to require dewatering or depressurization.
Processing and Metallurgy
Gold will be recovered using ROM heap leaching with no crushing, screening or agglomeration. Ore will be truck-stacked onto a phased heap leach facility followed by conventional cyanide leaching and processed through an adsorption, desorption and recovery (“ADR”) plant which will produce gold and silver doré bars that will be shipped off-site for further refining. The FS estimates an overall LOM gold recovery of 70.2%, based on recovery equations developed for the modeled metallurgical domains. Selected lower recovery ore will be stockpiled by metallurgical type for subsequent placement on the heap leach facility.
Black Pine has been the subject of extensive metallurgical testwork, including eight metallurgical programs completed since 2019 using bulk samples and large-diameter PQ core, at Kappes, Cassiday & Associates in Reno, Nevada. Additional programs are ongoing including the bulk sample column leach testing from surface ores collected across the deposit and sample testing from sonic drill holes in the Legacy Heap Leach Facility (“LHLF”) to evaluate its economic potential.
Capital and Operating Costs
Initial capital to develop Black Pine is estimated at $411.4 million, comprising process and site infrastructure, heap leach facilities, mine capital (including initial deposits for mining equipment), pre-production activities, engineering, procurement and construction management (“EPCM”), contingency and owner's costs. The FS assumes all mining equipment is leased at prevailing commercial rates.
In addition to initial capital, the FS estimates $254.0 million of sustaining capital over the 16-year mine life. Reclamation and closure costs are estimated at $160.1 million.
Total life-of-mine capital, including initial, sustaining and closure expenditures, is estimated at $825.5 million. See Table 3 below.
Table 3: Black Pine FS Capital Cost Summary
| Capital Costs | Initial $ Million | Sustaining $ Million | Total $ Million |
| Process Plant & Support1 | $221.4 | $31.7 | $253.1 |
| Heap Leach Facility2 | $87.0 | $140.2 | $227.2 |
| Mine Capital3 | $103.0 | $82.1 | $185.1 |
| Closure | nil | $160.1 | $160.1 |
| Total Capital Costs | $ 411.4 | $ 414.1 | $ 825.5 |
1 Includes site general earthworks, process plant (ADR, refinery, reagents), power systems, ADR building and ancillaries, freight, construction support, EPCM, vendor support, spare parts, first fills, storm water controls, contingency and owner's costs.
2 Includes direct, indirect and contingency costs for the heap leach facility.
3 Includes mine capital equipment, mine pre-production costs and mining capital contingency, excludes ore inventory costs.
4Totals may not sum due to rounding.
Total operating costs for the LOM are estimated at $3,892 million, equivalent to $8.98 per tonne of ore processed and an AISC of $1,566/oz Au. See Table 4 below.
Table 4: Black Pine FS Operating Cost Summary
| Operating Costs | LOM $ Million | Unit Cost $/tonne ore |
| Mining | $2,635.8 | $6.08 |
| Process Plant | $898.6 | $2.07 |
| G&A | $347.1 | $0.80 |
| Refining | $10.7 | $0.02 |
| Total Operating Cost | $ 3,892.2 | $ 8.98 |
Totals may not sum due to rounding.
Environmental, Permitting and Community
Black Pine is currently advancing through federal and state permitting as a FAST-41 Covered Project, based upon the Company's 2026 MPO.
The U.S. Forest Service published a Notice of Intent on April 3, 2026, formally initiating public scoping and preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) under the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”).
Liberty Gold has maintained an active stakeholder and community outreach program since 2019, including regular engagement with local municipalities, county commissioners, the Idaho Legislature, regulatory agencies and community groups. No material environmental issues have been identified to date that are expected to preclude securing the permits and authorizations required to develop Black Pine.
Further Opportunities
The FS establishes a development case for Black Pine while identifying opportunities for further evaluation:
- Near-term finalization of a Silver Resource: Silver resources have been estimated at the Discovery and M Zones, and work is ongoing for the remainder of the deposit, with further details to be provided in the FS. No silver mineral reserve or silver production is included in the FS. Resource conversion and growth: Possible conversion of the Inferred Mineral Resource of 58.4 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.14 g/t Au and containing 171 thousand oz of potentially recoverable gold to the Indicated category; continued resource growth from step-out drilling around known mineralized centres; and, evaluation of additional high-priority targets across the mineral lease area of ~70 square kilometers. Inferred Mineral Resources are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be considered Mineral Reserves and there is no certainty that further exploration will result in the conversion of Inferred Mineral Resources to Indicated Mineral Resource. 2026 Drilled to Measured (“DtM”) program: This year's drill program has been designed to upgrade the mineral resource classification from Indicated to Measured for the early years of the mine plan presented in the FS. Drilling is expected to be completed later this year and with final assay results following. This program is intended to significantly derisk the ore supply during operational start-up and over the initial capital payback period. Mine and heap optimization: Continued optimization of mine planning, mining rates, stacking rates, cut-off grade strategy, stockpiling, haulage and heap leach facility design and phasing.
Pathway to a Construction Decision
Liberty Gold continues to advance Black Pine toward a potential construction decision through detailed engineering, procurement, financing and execution readiness, while permitting continues under the established FAST-41 schedule. The Company has recently selected M3 Engineering & Technology Corporation and NewFields Companies LLC as principal engineering partners for the detailed engineering phase and this work has commenced.
The recommended work program is proposed in two phases:
- Phase 1 – Engineering, Procurement and Execution Readiness: Complete detailed engineering through Liberty Gold's appointed engineering partners, continue permitting activities, finalize the execution schedule and control budget, undertake procurement of long-lead equipment, and advance the commercial and execution planning activities required to support a future construction decision. Phase 2 – Construction, Commissioning and Ramp-Up: Subject to formal approvals, complete project construction and mine development, install processing and site infrastructure facilities, recruit and train the operating workforce, and commission the operation for commercial production.
Black Pine Mineral Reserve Estimate
The FS includes an updated Mineral Reserve estimate, with an effective date of August 1, 2026. The FS establishes a 4.04 million oz Au Probable Mineral Reserve, comprising 433.3 million tonnes grading 0.29 g/t Au. The Probable Mineral Reserve consists of Indicated blocks above a cut-off grade of 0.05 g/t recoverable Au. There are no Measured Mineral Resources at Black Pine and, accordingly, no Proven Mineral Reserves.
Table 5: Black Pine Mineral Reserve Estimate
| Reserve Class | Million Tonnes | Au Grade (g/t) | Contained Gold Ounces (Million oz) |
| Probable | 433.3 | 0.29 | 4.04 |
| Total | 433.3 | 0.29 | 4.04 |
Notes:
Black Pine Mineral Resource Estimate
The FS includes an updated Mineral Resource estimate, with an effective date of April 30, 2026.
Indicated Mineral Resources total 521.7 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.29 g/t Au. Inferred Mineral Resources total 148.8 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.21 g/t Au, containing 996 thousand ounces of gold.
Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources are inclusive of Mineral Reserves.
Table 6: Black Pine Mineral Resource Estimate
| Material Type | Area | Resource Class | Thousand Tonnes | Average Grade | Contained Metal | ||
| Au (g/t) | Ag (g/t) | Au (koz) | Ag (koz) | ||||
| In-Situ | CD | Indicated | 37,614 | 0.28 | - | 336 | - |
| Inferred | 12,223 | 0.20 | - | 80 | - | ||
| Discovery | Indicated | 188,399 | 0.35 | 1.4 | 2,097 | 8,147 | |
| Inferred | 27,503 | 0.19 | 1.0 | 169 | 912 | ||
| E Pit | Indicated | 9,657 | 0.26 | - | 82 | - | |
| Inferred | 11,825 | 0.22 | - | 82 | - | ||
| F | Indicated | 6,543 | 0.32 | - | 66 | - | |
| Inferred | 1,217 | 0.24 | - | 10 | - | ||
| J Zone | Indicated | 3,601 | 0.33 | - | 38 | - | |
| Inferred | 12,731 | 0.25 | - | 104 | - | ||
| M Zone | Indicated | 7,324 | 0.51 | 2.6 | 120 | 606 | |
| Inferred | 5,406 | 0.21 | 1.3 | 36 | 217 | ||
| Rangefront | Indicated | 237,679 | 0.26 | - | 1,998 | - | |
| Inferred | 59,787 | 0.19 | - | 371 | - | ||
| Total In-Situ | Indicated | 490,816 | 0.30 | - | 4,737 | 8,754 | |
| Inferred | 130,691 | 0.20 | - | 851 | 1,133 | ||
| Backfill and Waste Dumps | Indicated | 0 | - | - | 0 | - | |
| Inferred | 18,144 | 0.25 | - | 145 | - | ||
| Legacy Heap Leach Facility | Indicated | 30,844 | 0.19 | - | 190 | - | |
| Inferred | 0 | - | - | - | - | ||
| Total | Indicated | 521,660 | 0.29 | - | 4,927 | 8,754 | |
| Inferred | 148,835 | 0.21 | - | 996 | 1,133 |
Notes:
Qualified Persons
The scientific and technical information in this announcement has been reviewed and approved for release by Peter Shabestari, Vice President Exploration at Liberty Gold and the Company's designated Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101. He has verified the data disclosed in this release and consents to its inclusion in the form and context in which it appears.
The FS was prepared by a team of independent industry experts. The independent Qualified Persons for the“NI 43-101 Technical Report and Feasibility Study for the Black Pine Project, Idaho, USA”, with an effective date of August 1, 2026, will be filed within 45 days of the date of this press release and will be available on SEDAR+ () and on Liberty Gold's website, are as follows:
Table 7: Qualified Persons
| Category | Name | Company |
| Mineral Reserve Estimate, Mining Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering | Todd Carstensen, RM-SME | AGP Mining Consultants Inc. |
| Heap Leach Operating Model | Brendan Fetter, P.E. | Forte Dynamics |
| Legacy Heap Leach Facility Resource Estimate | Don Hulse, RM-SME | Forte Dynamics |
| Metallurgy | Gary Simmons, MMSA | GL Simmons Consulting LLC |
| Environmental, Permitting & Compliance | Kyle Brangers, CPG | GSI Environmental Inc. |
| Mineral Processing | Benjamin Bermudez, P.E. | M3 Engineering & Technology Corp. |
| Infrastructure, Financial Evaluations, & Study Lead Engineer, Hydrology and Hydrogeology | Matthew Sletten, P.E. | M3 Engineering & Technology Corp. |
| Heap Design & Closure | Nicholas Rocco, Ph.D., P.E. | NewFields Companies LLC |
| Mineral Resource Estimate, Geology | Valerie Wilson, P.Geo. | SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd. |
Non-GAAP Measures and Other Financial Measures
Alternative performance measures are furnished to provide additional information. These non-GAAP performance measures are included in this news release because these statistics are key performance measures that management uses to monitor performance, to assess how the Company is performing, to plan and to assess the overall effectiveness and efficiency of future potential mining operations. These performance measures, including Initial Capital Costs, Cash Costs, and AISC, do not have a standard meaning within International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) and, therefore, amounts presented may not be comparable to similar data presented by other mining companies. These performance measures are intended to provide additional information to the user and should not be considered in isolation as a substitute for measures of performance in accordance with IFRS. This non-GAAP financial performance measure information is for a project under development incorporating information that will vary over time as the project is developed and mined. It is therefore not practicable to reconcile these forward-looking non-GAAP financial performance measures.
Initial Capital Costs
Initial Capital Cost is defined as capital required to develop, construct and bring the Project to commercial production.
Sustaining Capital Costs
Sustaining Capital Cost is defined as capital required to sustain the operation after the commencement of commercial production.
Cash Costs and Cash Costs per Gold Ounce
Cash Costs are reflective of the cost of production. Cash Costs reported in the FS include mining costs, processing, on-site general and administrative costs, treatment and refining costs, and royalties. Cash Costs per ounce is calculated as Cash Costs divided by total LOM payable gold ounces.
AISC and AISC per Gold Ounce
AISC is reflective of all of the expenditures that are required to produce an ounce of gold from operations. AISC reported in the FS includes Cash Costs, sustaining capital, closure costs, Idaho Mine License Tax and Idaho property tax. AISC per ounce is calculated as AISC divided by total LOM payable gold ounces.
ABOUT LIBERTY GOLD
Liberty Gold is a U.S.-focused gold company advancing Black Pine, its 100% owned oxide gold project in Idaho, located within the Great Basin, one of the world's most productive and mining-friendly gold regions. Black Pine is a large-scale, past-producing, run-of-mine heap leachable gold deposit progressing through feasibility and permitting toward a modern open-pit mining operation. The Company's strategy is centered on advancing high-quality, long-life gold assets, with a clear focus on technical simplicity, strong environmental performance, project executability, collaborative permitting processes, and value creation. This reflects Liberty Gold's commitment to the discipline of delivery. The Company is led by an experienced team with a track record of discovery, development, and delivering sustained long-term value.
For more information, visit libertygold.ca
Susie Bell, Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate CommunicationsPhone: 604-632-4677 or Toll Free 1-877-632-4677
...
This news release contains“forward-looking information” and“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements or information concerning future financial or operating performance of Liberty Gold and its business, operations, properties and condition; planned de-risking activities at Liberty Gold's mineral properties; expectations regarding the sufficiency of existing water rights to support the Project; plans regarding refining of gold and silver doré bars produced at the ADR plant; federal and state permitting timelines; future updates to the mineral resource, including potential resource growth and conversion of mineral resources to mineral reserves; completion and results of the DtM program, including the expected timing thereof, and expectations regarding the potential benefits of such program; the potential quantity, recoverability and/or grade of minerals; the potential size of a mineralized zone or potential expansion of mineralization; proposed exploration and development of Liberty Gold's exploration property interests; expectations regarding dewatering requirements; the results of mineral resource estimates or mineral reserve estimates; the Company's anticipated expenditures; the results and conclusions of the Feasibility Study, including projected mine life, production, recoveries, total cash costs, capital costs, AISC, cash flow, NPV, IRR and payback periods; gold price sensitivities; anticipated employment and community benefits and Black Pine's ability to generate long-term value for shareholders and other stakeholders; execution-readiness; and potential completion of a construction decision and development of the Project.
Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "planned", "expect", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intends", "believe", "potential", and similar expressions, or describes a "goal", or variation of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "should", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made including, among others, assumptions about: future prices of gold and other metal prices; currency exchange rates and interest rates; favourable operating conditions; political stability; timely receipt of governmental or regulatory approvals, licenses and permits; obtaining timely renewals for existing licenses and permits; access to necessary financing; labour stability, stability of labour markets and market conditions in general; availability of drill rigs and other equipment; results or timing of any mineral resources, results or timing of any baseline studies, resource conversion, the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources, and of any metallurgical testing completed to date; there being no significant disruptions affecting the development and operation of the Project; successful resolution of disputes; anticipated costs and expenditures; and general marketing, political, business and economic conditions. Many assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Liberty Gold and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.
Such forward-looking information, involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others: the interpretation of results and/or the reliance on technical information provided by third parties as related to the Company's mineral property interests; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; current economic conditions; state and federal permitting processes, future prices of commodities; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; the costs and timing of the development of new deposits; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of contracted parties to perform; the timing and success of exploration activities generally; the timing or results of the publication of any mineral resources, mineral reserves or feasibility studies; delays in permitting; possible claims against the Company; labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals, financing, timing of the completion of exploration as well as those risk, uncertainties and other factors discussed in the Annual Information Form of the Company dated March 25, 2026, in the section entitled "Risk Factors", available under Liberty Gold's SEDAR+ profile at .
Although Liberty Gold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual performance, achievements, actions, events, results or conditions to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause performance, achievements, actions, events, results or conditions not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and Liberty Gold disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except for material differences between actual results and previously disclosed material forward-looking information, or as otherwise required by law. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information or forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements and forward-looking information attributable to us is expressly qualified by these cautionary statements.
Note to United States Investors Concerning Estimates of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resources and Probable Reserves
The information, including any information incorporated by reference, and disclosure documents of Liberty Gold that are filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities concerning mineral properties have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of United States securities laws.
Without limiting the foregoing, these documents use the terms“measured resources”,“indicated resources”,“inferred resources” and“mineral reserves”. These terms are Canadian mining terms as defined in, and required to be disclosed in accordance with, NI 43-101, which references the guidelines set out in the CIM Definition Standards, adopted by the CIM Council, as amended. However, these standards differ significantly from the mineral property disclosure requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the“ SEC”) in Regulation S-K Subpart 1300 (the“ SEC Modernization Rules”) under the United States Securities Act of 1934, as amended. The Company does not file reports with the SEC and is not required to provide disclosure on its mineral properties under the SEC Modernization Rules and will continue to provide disclosure under NI 43-101 and the CIM Definition Standards.
1 AISC and Initial Capital Costs are non-GAAP financial measures that do not have a standardized meaning under IFRS. See“Non-GAAP Measures and Other Financial Measures” below.
2 Cash Costs are non-GAAP financial measure that does not have a standardized meaning under IFRS. See“Non-GAAP Measures and Other Financial Measures” below.

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