Equinox Gold’s Castle Mountain Accepted into FAST-41 Permitting Program, California
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Equinox Gold said its Castle Mountain Mine phase two project in California has been accepted into the United States Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council’s FAST-41 program.
FAST-41 is a federal permitting framework designed to streamline environmental reviews, improve interagency coordination, and increase transparency. Acceptance into the program is expected to enhance regulatory certainty through a defined permitting schedule that may reflect reduced permitting timelines. Based on the permitting timeline posted to the FAST-41 project dashboard, the federal permitting process should be completed in December 2026.
“Castle Mountain is a high-quality growth opportunity for Equinox Gold in a tier-one jurisdiction. Based on the March 2021 feasibility study, the project is expected to produce approximately 200,000 ounces of gold annually over a 14-year mine life, totaling 3.2 million ounces,” said Darren Hall, CEO of Equinox Gold.
“With FAST-41 permitting status in place we’ve initiated study updates and project optimization to align with the permitting timeline and position the project for a timely construction decision. Once in production Castle Mountain will be a cornerstone asset, reinforcing our strategy of building a portfolio of long-life, low-cost mines in top-tier jurisdictions,” added Hall.
Castle Mountain is located in San Bernardino County, California, approximately 200 miles north of Equinox Gold’s Mesquite Mine. Equinox Gold acquired Castle Mountain in December 2017 and operated a small open-pit heap leach gold mine from Q4 2020 to Q3 2024. The mine is currently performing re-leaching procedures while the company advances permitting, engineering, and optimization work.
While the project is expected to operate within the existing approved mine boundary, the changes to previously analyzed effects, such as increased land disturbance within the mine boundary and increased water use, require modification to the company’s approved mine and reclamation plan and an updated environmental impact statement / environmental impact report.
Equinox Gold is a Canadian mining company positioned for growth with a strong foundation of high-quality, long-life gold operations in Canada and across the Americas, and a pipeline of development and expansion projects. Founded and chaired by renowned mining entrepreneur Ross Beaty and guided by a seasoned leadership team with broad expertise, the company is focused on disciplined execution, operational excellence and long-term value creation.
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